Hurricane Trudy strengthened into a Category 3 major hurricane off Mexico’s Pacific coast early on Friday, 16 October 2026, with sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). It had been a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday. At midnight Mexico Central time its eye was about 260 miles (420 km) south-west of Acapulco and about 365 miles (590 km) south-south-east of Manzanillo, moving north-west at 6 mph (9 km/h). Its central pressure was 957 millibars.
The US National Hurricane Center expects Trudy to peak near 145 mph (230 km/h), a Category 4, on Saturday. It expects the storm to approach south-western and west-central Mexico on Saturday and Saturday night. Most computer models keep the centre just offshore, but the US GFS model brings it inland. The centre said the intensity forecast is very sensitive to the exact track, and that wind shear, changes in the eyewall and contact with land should weaken the storm.
A hurricane watch is in effect from north of Punta San Telmo in Michoacan to Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco, and a tropical storm warning covers the coast from Punta San Telmo south to Zihuatanejo in Guerrero. More watches and warnings are likely. Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco could receive 4 to 8 inches (100 to 200 mm) of rain, with isolated totals near 12 inches (300 mm), which could cause flooding and mudslides. Guerrero could receive 2 to 4 inches. Life-threatening surf and rip currents are expected through the weekend.
Mexico’s national weather service, the SMN, does not expect Trudy to make landfall and expects it to weaken to a tropical storm near the coast, while some Mexican outlets reported a possible landfall on Sunday. Tropical Storm Simon, which brought rain to the same coast days earlier, is expected to become a remnant low.
This article reflects forecasts as of 16 October. Hurricane forecasts change quickly, and readers on the coast should follow the National Hurricane Center and local civil protection advice.
Sources: Rio Times: Hurricane Trudy reaches Category 3; US National Hurricane Center.
Featured image: A satellite image of Hurricane Trudy at sunrise on 16 October 2026. Photo: CSU/CIRA and NOAA GOES imagery (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.
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