MEXICO · WEATHER
Key Facts
- The country Mexico, the United States’ southern neighbour, has a long Pacific coast lined with beach resorts such as Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta.
- What happened Tropical Storm Trudy formed off southern Mexico on Tuesday 13 October, and Guerrero state asked residents to stay on alert.
- The storm At 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Trudy had 45 mph (75 km/h) winds, about 440 miles (705 km) south-southeast of Acapulco.
- The forecast Trudy is expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday night, 14 October, and a major hurricane, Category 3 or stronger, by Friday 16 October.
- Ports Acapulco and nearby Puerto Marqués closed to small boats and coastal fishing from 3 p.m. on Tuesday until further notice.
- For US travellers Guerrero, home to Acapulco and Zihuatanejo, already carries a US ‘Do not travel’ advisory, and storm watches may follow on Wednesday.
- Power Index Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 71.4 points (October 2026 edition).
Tropical Storm Trudy is strengthening off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast and is forecast to approach land as a major hurricane late this week. Guerrero, the state that is home to the beach resorts of Acapulco and Zihuatanejo, has asked residents to stay on alert.
The coast at risk, from Acapulco north to Puerto Vallarta, includes resort towns that many Americans visit or call home. As of Tuesday’s 9 p.m. CST advisory (11 p.m. ET), the US National Hurricane Center put Trudy about 440 miles (705 km) south-southeast of Acapulco.
Where Storm Trudy Is Heading
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said Trudy had sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and was moving northwest at 10 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds reached up to 70 miles (110 km) from the centre of Storm Trudy.
The NHC forecasts rapid strengthening, with Trudy becoming a hurricane by Wednesday night and a major hurricane by Friday. Its forecast winds reach 130 mph (about 210 km/h) by Friday evening, the threshold of Category 4.
The forecast keeps the centre offshore past Guerrero and Michoacán, then puts it near the port of Manzanillo, in Colima state, by Saturday evening. The NHC expects Trudy to move inland over western Mexico at the weekend and reach the southern Gulf of California early next week.
The NHC called its track forecast “more uncertain than usual” from Friday evening, with computer models far apart. Regardless of the exact path, it said Trudy “is expected to approach the coast of Mexico as a major hurricane later this week.”
Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN), the country’s official forecaster, expects Trudy to become a hurricane overnight from Wednesday into Thursday. Its Tuesday forecast showed Trudy could go on to reach Category 4, the news magazine Proceso and the newspaper La Voz de Michoacán reported.
Which Coastal Towns Face the Highest Risk
The NHC gives Lázaro Cárdenas, a port city in Michoacán, a 72% chance of tropical-storm-force winds, 39 mph or more, within five days. Manzanillo stands at 64% and Zihuatanejo, the Guerrero resort next to Ixtapa, at 58%.
The chance of hurricane-force winds, 74 mph (119 km/h) or more, is 24% for Manzanillo, 19% for Lázaro Cárdenas and 10% for Zihuatanejo. Acapulco, farther from the forecast track, has a 12% chance of tropical-storm-force winds.
No coastal watches or warnings were in force, but the NHC said watches would likely be needed on Wednesday for southwestern and west-central Mexico. It flagged a rising risk of wind, rain and storm surge, the rise in sea level that a hurricane pushes ashore.
Storm Trudy follows Hurricane Simon, which is still churning off the coast of Jalisco state. At 2 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Simon was a Category 2 hurricane with 110 mph (175 km/h) winds, 135 miles off Cabo Corrientes.
How Guerrero and Acapulco Are Preparing
Guerrero’s civil protection agency said on Tuesday that Storm Trudy would bring heavy to very heavy rain, mainly to Acapulco and nearby coasts. The newspaper Reforma, carried by Vanguardia, reported that the state government asked residents to stay on alert.
The agency urged people to stay out of the sea, take extra care on the coast and report emergencies to 911. Governor Evelyn Salgado Pineda, of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s left-wing Morena party, said on Tuesday that the state was tracking the system closely.
In Acapulco, Mayor Abelina López Rodríguez, also of Morena, led an extraordinary session of the city’s civil protection council on Tuesday. “Otis taught us that weather phenomena can change quickly,” she said, recalling the Category 5 hurricane that struck the city in October 2023.
She also cited Hurricane John, which flooded parts of southern Mexico in September 2024, as a lesson that days of rain matter, not just wind. The city said it would watch the La Sabana river, the Tres Palos lagoon, ravines and low-lying areas.
Acapulco’s civil protection meteorologists said the first rain could start on Wednesday and last until Friday, Quadratín reported. Mexico’s navy said it was ready to deploy its Plan Marina disaster-relief operation in Guerrero and Michoacán, Quadratín added.
Acapulco Port Closes to Small Boats
Mexico’s navy closed Acapulco’s port to small boats and coastal fishing from 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Quadratín and the broadcaster adn40 reported. Nearby Puerto Marqués closed to small craft at the same hour, and both closures run until further notice.
Both ports had reopened only on Sunday 11 October, after five days of restrictions during Hurricane Simon, Quadratín reported. Fishing boats along the Costa Chica, the coast east of Acapulco toward Oaxaca, were also told to stay in port.
Acapulco’s port captain, Arturo Martínez Ortiz, reported a swell of 1.8 to 2.7 metres (about 6 to 9 feet) from Chiapas to Jalisco, Quadratín said. He expected it to ease gradually on Wednesday, while the NHC expects swells from Trudy to reach southern Mexico late this week.
What It Means for You
The US State Department already rates Guerrero at Level 4, “Do not travel,” and bars its own staff from Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. Americans already in Guerrero should follow Mexican civil protection orders and register with the department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for alerts.
The NHC warns that swells from Storm Trudy will reach parts of southern Mexico’s coast late this week, causing life-threatening surf and rip currents. That matters for surf towns such as Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca, a state the State Department rates at Level 2, “Exercise increased caution.”
Travellers booked into Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo or Puerto Vallarta from Thursday to Sunday should check flight status with their airline and keep plans flexible. The NHC publishes a full advisory every six hours, at 3 a.m., 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. Mexico City time.
What Is Not Known
It is not yet known where Storm Trudy will make landfall, or how strong it will be when it does. The NHC said that if Trudy tracks farther inland over western Mexico, its circulation could fall apart quickly.
As of Tuesday night’s advisory, Mexico had not said which stretches of coast would fall under hurricane or tropical storm watches. Neither Guerrero nor Acapulco announced school closures or evacuations in their Tuesday statements.
It is also unclear whether flights to Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo or Puerto Vallarta will be disrupted. The US Embassy issued weather alerts for Simon on 8 and 9 October but had not posted one for Trudy by early Wednesday.
More: Mexico news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was Storm Trudy on Tuesday night?
At the NHC’s 9 p.m. CST advisory on Tuesday, Storm Trudy was about 440 miles (705 km) south-southeast of Acapulco, moving northwest at 10 mph. Its maximum sustained winds were 45 mph (75 km/h).
Will Storm Trudy hit Acapulco?
The NHC forecast keeps the centre of Storm Trudy offshore as it passes Acapulco, which has a 12% chance of tropical-storm-force winds. Guerrero’s civil protection agency still expects heavy rain in and around the city.
Is it safe to travel to Zihuatanejo or Manzanillo this week?
Both lie on the coast where the NHC sees a rising risk of wind, rain and storm surge from late this week. Guerrero, home to Zihuatanejo, also carries a US ‘Do not travel’ advisory because of terrorism, crime and kidnapping.
What is a major hurricane?
A major hurricane is Category 3 or stronger on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of at least 111 mph (178 km/h). The NHC expects Trudy to reach that level by Friday.
Sources: US National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Trudy Public Advisory 3, 13 October 2026; US National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Trudy Discussion 3, 13 October 2026; US National Hurricane Center, Trudy Wind Speed Probabilities 3, 14 October 2026; US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Simon Advisory 27A, 13 October 2026; US State Department, Mexico Travel Advisory, 29 May 2026; Government of Guerrero, civil protection statement on Tropical Depression 21-E, 13 October 2026; Quadratín Guerrero (state civil protection bulletin), 13 October 2026; Quadratín Guerrero (Acapulco port closure), 13 October 2026; Quadratín Guerrero (Acapulco council), 13 October 2026; Quadratín Guerrero (Governor Salgado), 13 October 2026; Quadratín Guerrero (Plan Marina), 13 October 2026; adn40, 13 October 2026; Vanguardia (Reforma), 13 October 2026; La Voz de Michoacán, 13 October 2026; Proceso, 13 October 2026; US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Otis report, 22–25 October 2023; US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane John report, 22–27 September 2024; US Embassy in Mexico, alerts, 14 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief