The latest hurricane report from the US National Hurricane Center in Miami on October 6 said that Hurricane Priscilla had formed in the Pacific Ocean, off the southwest coast of Mexico.
The hurricane bulletin states that Priscilla's maximum sustained winds are 120 km/h and the storm is about 460 km south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes. The storm is moving north-northwest at a speed of 6 km/h.
The center's weather forecasters say heavy rains and strong winds are affecting Mexico's southwestern coastal areas, with the possibility of flash floods.
The large waves generated by Priscilla are affecting some coastal areas in the region and will spread to some coastal areas in southwest, western Mexico and southern Baja California on October 6. High waves are expected to create dangerous receding water.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for part of Mexico's southwest coast, from Punta San Telmo to Punta Mita, with a tropical storm status in effect for the region on October 6. Rainfall could reach up to 150mm in areas of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states.
Forecasters warn that Priscilla's strong wind field is likely to cause life-threatening flooding and dangerous conditions at sea that could disrupt transportation and supply chains across western and central Mexico. Mexico officials have urged residents and visitors in the affected areas to closely monitor developments as Priscilla strengthens.
Priscilla is the 16th storm to form in the Pacific Ocean this year, with 14 storms forming in the eastern Pacific and two in the central Pacific.
The hurricane season in the eastern Pacific begins on May 15, while the hurricane season in the central Pacific begins on June 1, and both seasons ends on November 30.
Another storm off the Pacific Ocean, which formed before Priscilla - Hurricane Octave - became a hurricane on October 5. However, Typhoon Octave is not expected to make landfall and will not issue any warnings to coastal areas.
Octave has maximum sustained winds of nearly 130 km/h, and the center's forecasters said the storm is expected to gradually weaken on October 6. The storm is located about 1,600 km west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California and is moving northeast at a speed of 9 km/h.
