Hurricane Simon The hurricane continued its slow path along Mexico’s west-central coast early Tuesday, bringing high winds and flooding after the tropical weather system caused five deaths and damage in Pacific coast towns and resorts.
The eye of the hurricane remained offshore, with its outer wind bands and rain pummeling communities between the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Pacific Ocean near Puerto Vallarta.
Simon achieved this with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph Category 1 stormbut the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said it was technically a small tropical cyclone. Simon is located approximately 90 miles west of Cape Corrientes, traveling northwest at 3 mph.
“Further weakening is expected over the next day or so, but Simon is expected to remain a hurricane through midweek and may intensify again on Wednesday,” the hurricane center said. Hurricane-force winds extend out to 10 miles from Simon’s core, and tropical storm-force winds extend out to 45 miles.
Flood warnings have been canceled across much of the southwestern United States after remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel caused weekend flooding in Las Vegas.
Tropical weather turns deadly
In the Mexican state of Baja California, rescuers combed parts of the coastal city of Ensenada on Monday as floodwaters swept away vehicles and damaged homes. At least four people have died in the state due to the impact of post-tropical cyclone Rachel.
Resident Johana Nuriulu said the flooding occurred at night when heavy rains knocked out power. “We heard a loud bang, it sounded like a wave, but it was really big,” she said.
Nuriuru said she walked outside and discovered that a nearby creek had overflowed, sending water rushing through the neighborhood. Floodwaters inundated streets and homes, sweeping away vehicles and other property. “Everything was dragged away,” Nuriru said.
Elsewhere in Baja California, landslides and river flooding left some communities isolated.
In the afternoon, the Mexican military used helicopters to rescue 32 people, 22 of whom were foreigners, from a ranch in Ensenada. Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila said 13 of them were teenagers.
General Laureano Carrillo, secretary of state for security, said some of them were missionaries who had met at the ranch and included Germans and Americans.
Ignacio Lozoya, Baja California’s civil protection coordinator, said Monday night that four bodies had been found in Ensenada: a 13-year-old girl on Sunday and two women and a 4-year-old boy on Monday. Losoya said six people were still missing: four in Ensenada, two from the town of San Felipe and a father and son who went fishing on Saturday but did not return.
According to Avila, approximately 14,000 federal and state personnel have been deployed throughout Baja California to assist affected residents and respond to emergencies.
In the south, Simon toppled trees and power poles, blocked roads and flooded homes in coastal towns in Guerrero state, including Acapulco’s main seaport, Gov. Evelyn Salgado told a news conference.
Salgado said a 71-year-old man died after a wall collapsed in Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero state.
In Puerto Vallarta, workers removed boards from boarded-up storefronts and businesses reopened Monday as rains eased. The popular tourist destination’s international airport suspended operations until Tuesday morning.
Christian Ruano/Reuters 
“I personally think we should be vigilant because we really don’t know if it will arrive, move to other places or dissipate,” said Noelia Carrillo, a staff member at the tourism agency.
American influence
Rachel moved north toward Southern California before weakening into a post-tropical cyclone. The storm brought unusually large waves to the coast, tearing up a boardwalk and washing away homes in Long Beach. Some residents were forced to evacuate.
According to the National Weather Service, Las Vegas received 1.08 inches of rain on Sunday morning, setting an all-time record for rainfall in a single day in October. The record was set in 1947.
Video posted on social media showed a torrent of water flowing through a street near the Las Vegas Strip, with a Ferris wheel and casinos in the background.
As of Monday evening, flood warnings had mostly been lifted for Utah, Arizona and other parts of the Southwest.
In Utah, dozens of runners and volunteers participating in the Moab 240 ultramarathon were evacuated Sunday after being trapped by flooding. The race passes through Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.
Forecasters said the extra rain was not related to Rachel but to a different weather system moving through the west. The precipitation is expected to end on Wednesday.
Power was gradually restored after Hurricane Isaias hits southeastern U.S..
At least four deaths have been linked to Isaias, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, which made landfall on Friday as a Category 2 hurricane near Destin, Florida, a Gulf Coast resort town filled with high-rise buildings and tourist shops. The storm then roared into Alabama with tropical winds before dissipating further north.