Hurricane Trudy Strengthens to Category 3 as It Tracks Toward Mexico's Pacific Coast

Hurricane Trudy intensified into a Category 3 major hurricane on Friday, and travellers with trips planned on Mexico's Pacific coast should pay close attention this weekend. The US National Hurricane Center reported maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h), with the storm crawling north-northwest at just 5 mph — a slow pace that means more time dumping rain over any one area.

As of Friday morning, Trudy's centre sat roughly 235 miles (380 km) southwest of Acapulco and 325 miles (525 km) south-southeast of Manzanillo, with a minimum central pressure of 956 millibars. Forecasters expected the hurricane to strengthen further through Saturday and to still be a major hurricane at its closest point of approach to Mexico.

A hurricane warning is already in effect for parts of the Pacific coast, and the main hazards flagged are heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides rather than wind alone. The current forecast track keeps the storm offshore — it is expected to pass very close to the coast late Saturday, skimming within roughly 60 to 65 km of Jalisco and Colima, but a direct landfall is not currently anticipated. Offshore or not, that is close enough for dangerous surf, coastal flooding and disruption on the ground.

If you are in or near Acapulco, Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta or the smaller beach towns along the Jalisco and Colima coast, the practical move is straightforward: follow local civil protection updates, expect ferry and flight disruptions, and don't wait for conditions to deteriorate before adjusting plans. Hotels in hurricane-prone zones are used to this drill and will have protocols, but late-October storms can change course quickly, so keep an eye on official NHC advisories rather than relying on a single forecast from hours earlier.

This is a developing weather story rather than a reason to write off Mexico's Pacific coast — storms like this pass through every season, and the region typically returns to normal quickly. But for anyone flying into the area this weekend, a bit of flexibility on dates and a quick check of your airline's weather waiver policy will go a long way.