Major hurricane Jova to slam Mexico Pacific coast

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) ? Hurricane Jova strengthened to a major, Category 3 hurricane Monday as it marched toward Mexico's Pacific coast, threatening the idyllic beach resort of Barra de Navidad and one of the nation's biggest cargo ports.

Jova's maximum sustained winds built to near 125 mph (201 kph) by Monday morning, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said it reach Category 4 strength, with winds of greater than 131 mph (210 kph) on Tuesday before hitting land.

The forecast track would carry its center near Barra de Navidad, south of the larger resort of Puerto Vallarta, late Tuesday.

Hotels in the hurricane's path were already taking precautions, though the sun continued to shine from time to time. Almost all the guests at the 199-room Grand Bay Hotel on Isla Navidad, just off the coast, were scheduled to check out Monday, and only one American couple will ride out the storm, said hotel desk clerk Julio Cesar Ortega.

Hotel employees were taping up windows, cleaning out water channels to avoid flooding and were planning to pull in all beach furniture later today as Jova gets closer.

"The wind doesn't really hit us here, because we are protected by the hills," Ortega said. "But in any case, we're taking precautions for the storm's approach."

The hotel's approximately 90 employees are planning to take shelter in an interior ballroom if things get ugly.

The Mexican government declared a hurricane warning for a 100-mile (160-kilometer) stretch of coast form just south of Puerto Vallarta to a point south of Manzanillo, one of Mexico's chief cargo ports. A tropical storm warning was in effect further south, to the port of Lazaro Cardenas.

Jova was located about 255 miles (405 kilometers) southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and was moving east at about 5 mph (7 kph).

The mountainous terrain inland usually weakens hurricanes like Jova fairly quickly once they hit land, but "maybe coastal flooding will be an issue," said National Hurricane Center forecaster Felix Garcia.

"The rainfall will be absolutely torrential," Garcia said.

Remnants of the hurricane are projected to pass through the Guadalajara area and to be dissipating by the time the Jalisco state capital inaugurates the Pan American Games on Friday. Puerto Vallarta is scheduled to host two events, open-water swimming and the triathlon, about a week later.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Irwin was weakening slightly farther out in the Pacific with winds near 40 mph (65 kph), and while it is expected to move eastward toward land, it was not immediately clear if it will eventually reach the coast.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-10-10-Tropical%20Weather/id-85ab71334ee940d0b8c02af03f8ed18f

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