Hurricane Roslyn dumps heavy rain in Mexico

Hurricane Roslyn slammed into a sparsely populated stretch of Mexico’s Pacific coast between the resorts of Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan on Sunday morning, then weakened to tropical storm force and quickly moved inland.

By Sunday night, Roslyn had winds of 45km/h (30 mph), down from its peak of 209km/h(130 mph). The US National Hurricane Center said Roslyn was about 80km (50 miles) west-northwest of the northern city of Monterrey.

The hurricane was moving northeast at 35km/h (22 mph) and was expected to lose strength further as it moves inland. The Center expects Roslyn to dissipate before reaching Texas.

Local media reported two people died after taking shelter in unstable structures that collapsed during the storm, but the Nayarit state civil defence office said it could not confirm those deaths.

While it missed a direct hit, Roslyn brought heavy rain and high waves to Puerto Vallarta, where ocean surges lashed the beachside promenade.

Roslyn came ashore in Nayarit state, in roughly the same area where Hurricane Orlene made landfall on October 3. The hurricane made landfall around the village of Santa Cruz, near the fishing village of San Blas, about 150km (90 miles) north of Puerto Vallarta.

In Tepic, the Nayarit state capital, Roslyn blew down trees and flooded some streets; authorities asked residents to avoid going out Sunday, as crews worked to clear a landslide that had blocked a local highway.

The Federal Electricity Commission reported that more than 150,000 homes had lost power as a result of the storm and that by midday Sunday, service had been restored to about one-third of those customers.

Meanwhile, beachside eateries in Puerto Vallarta where tourists had lunched unconcerned Saturday were abandoned Sunday morning, and at some, the waves had carried away railings and small thatched structures that normally keep the sun off diners.

The head of the state civil defence office for the Puerto Vallarta area, Adrián Bobadilla, said authorities were patrolling the area but had not yet seen any major damage.

The National Water Commission said rains from Roslyn could cause mudslides and flooding and the US hurricane centre warned that heavy rains could cause flash flooding and landslides over the rugged terrain inland.