Tropical Storm Pilar on track to hit Puerto Vallarta
MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Pilar pelted the coast of western Mexico with heavy rains and winds on Sunday on a track that would carry it close to the resort city of Puerto Vallarta later in the day or Monday.
Pilar had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph in the afternoon and was located about 25 miles west of Cabo Corrientes, the tip of land at one end of the bay where Puerto Vallarta is situated. The storm was moving north-northwest at about 8 mph.
The storm was projected to closely skirt the coast for the next few days and lose strength. Tropical storm force winds extended out as far as 80 miles in some directions.
The Hurricane Center said it was likely to bring 3 to 7 inches of rain to the coastal region.
Meanwhile, two hurricanes were lurking in the Atlantic without posing an immediate major threat to land.
Hurricane Maria, which walloped Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane last week, was a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. It was expected to bring heavy surf and swells to the Carolinas and the Mid-Atlantic coasts.
It was centered about 475 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, before noon Sunday.
Further out at sea, Hurricane Lee had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. It was about 875 miles east of Bermuda and was moving to the southeast at 3 mph. It was projected to move in a rough circle over the coming days.
