Authorities closed the waters off the popular beach destination of Puerto Vallarta to small boats Tuesday as Hurricane Carlos continued to skirt up Mexico’s southwestern coastline.
At least one cruise ship, the Carnival Miracle, canceled a port call planned for Wednesday in Puerto Vallarta, port official Odilon Garcia Castillon said by phone from the Pacific Coast city.
With safety alerts in effect from Civil Protection officials, officials were “continuing to monitor the situation,” Castillon said.
A Category 1 storm, Carlos weakened a bit by Tuesday evening, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (135 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The storm was centered about 85 miles (135 kilometers) south-southwest of Manzanillo. It was moving northwest about 5 mph (7 kph) past a stretch of coast that is mostly lightly populated, with the exception of Manzanillo, a port city of about 100,000 inhabitants.
Carlos was forecast to weaken over the next 48 hours and likely become a tropical storm as it moved closer to Puerto Vallarta.
Education authorities in Jalisco state, where Puerto Vallarta is, announced that schools would close in a half dozen towns.
Over the weekend, high surf kicked up by Carlos swamped some boats and washed away small palm-frond beach huts in Acapulco, while strong winds knocked down trees and billboards. No major damage or deaths were reported.
Rain accumulations of 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters) were possible in areas near the storm, with a chance for up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in isolated spots, the Hurricane Center said.
A tropical storm warning was in effect from Punta San Telmo to Cabo Corrientes. A hurricane watch was posted from Punta San Telmo to Playa Perula.
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