Hurricane Lane Ravages Western Coast of Mexico

Hurricane Lane, which had been heading northwest towards Baja California, made a sudden shift to the east on Friday, coming ashore on the Western Coast of Mexico north of Mazatlan as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 87 mph/145km/hr and heavy rainfall.

The storm caused flooding and mudslides along the coast, as it moved north towards Culiacan, Capital of the State of Sinaloa, and home to over 750,000. Although Lane didn’t hit Mazatlan directly, the coastal resort suffered power cuts and damages from high winds and flooding, but no deaths or serious injuries have been reported. Authorities closed the airport during the storm’s passage, but it has now reopened.

Lane quickly lost strength as it moved inland. Miami’s National Hurricane Center said it has now become a tropical depression.

Lane was the second powerful storm to hit Mexico in two weeks. Hurricane John caused significant damages, and iwas
blamed for at least three deaths when it struck the Baja Peninsula (See IJ Website Sept. 1).