Hurricane Simon Drifts Off Mexico's Pacific Coast

Hurricane Simon held at Category 1 strength on Wednesday, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, drifting west at about 2 mph roughly 110 miles west of Cabo Corrientes, according to the National Hurricane Center's Advisory 25A.

A hurricane watch was in effect for the Las Islas Marias and for the mainland coast from Escuinapa to Bahia Tempehuaya. The Hurricane Center warned that up to 15 inches of rain could fall in Sinaloa by Thursday, alongside dangerous surf and rip currents along the coast.

Simon had been stronger a day earlier — a Category 2 storm at 110 mph off Manzanillo, with tropical storm warnings posted from Puerto Vallarta to Manzanillo. The combined death toll from Simon and the remnants of Hurricane Rachel rose to six, with five people missing, the Associated Press reported. Canada issued an advisory against non-essential travel to the affected coast.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Trudy was carrying 60 mph winds. In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Lorenzo formed on Monday and posed no threat to land.