Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Sept. 30, 2026 — Rain remains in Puerto Vallarta’s Wednesday forecast as Hurricane Rachel moves offshore, meteorologist Víctor Cornejo says.
Cornejo’s forecast for Bahía de Banderas calls for mostly cloudy skies, intermittent rain and scattered afternoon showers. He expects highs of 29 to 30 degrees Celsius, or about 84 to 86 Fahrenheit.
The National Hurricane Center confirmed Mexico lifted Rachel’s coastal wind watches and warnings Wednesday morning. Its 9 a.m. bulletin, in Puerto Vallarta time, retained warnings about rainfall, flooding and dangerous surf.
Drainage work planned in Las Glorias
Jalisco Civil Protection Director Sergio Ramírez said authorities plan additional pumping and drainage work in Las Glorias. He said sand-clogged storm drains and high tides hinder runoff from reaching the sea.
Ramírez said two state Civil Protection pumps and another from SEAPAL Vallarta would help remove accumulated water. “They will be working from one of the storm drains to move water toward the beach,” he said.
A Sept. 25 account documented flooding that closed service lanes along Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascencio. Those reported closures affected the Las Glorias and Versalles areas.
Families also face a school-day disruption. Jalisco authorities suspended Wednesday’s in-person classes in Puerto Vallarta and 29 other municipalities because of Rachel’s forecast rainfall. The suspension covers morning and afternoon shifts.
Regional rainfall estimates extend beyond the bay
For PVDN, I reviewed the National Meteorological Service’s 9 a.m. hurricane bulletin, reproduced on a government portal. It forecasts localized rainfall of 75 to 150 millimeters in western and southern Jalisco. The estimate for southern Nayarit is 50 to 75 millimeters.
These are regional projections for localized rainfall. The bulletin does not assign those totals to individual Puerto Vallarta neighborhoods.
At 9 a.m., the National Hurricane Center reported that Rachel’s center was about 350 kilometers southwest of Cabo Corrientes. Sustained winds reached 140 km/h, or 85 mph, while the hurricane moved northwest at 15 km/h.
The center’s forecast keeps Rachel’s core offshore and moving away from mainland Mexico. Forecasters said its outer rainbands could bring locally heavy rainfall to coastal southwestern Mexico through Thursday.
Beach warnings and household precautions
Our Tuesday beach report covered Puerto Vallarta’s fourth consecutive day under red flags. On Wednesday, municipal Civil Protection urged residents and visitors to take coastal precautions and consult official advisories.
The National Hurricane Center warned Rachel’s swells could produce “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.” Its forecast extends swell impacts along western Mexico through the end of the week.
In its Sept. 25 preparedness notice, SEAPAL advised households to maintain a reserve of water. The utility said its drinking-water supply sources depend on electricity.
