MEXICO CITY—Forecasters say Hurricane Willa has grown rapidly into an “extremely dangerous” near-Category 5 storm in the eastern Pacific, on a path that could smash into Mexico’s western coast between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta in the coming days.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said on early Oct. 22, that Willa could “produce life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall over portions of southwestern and west-central Mexico beginning on Tuesday.” It predicted that Willa could become a Category 5 hurricane later Monday morning, generating life-threatening surf and rip conditions.