A ferocious Hurricane Simon nears Mexico with 155 mph winds and flooding fears

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — The eye of Hurricane Simon was just off the Pacific coast of Mexico early Sunday and was expected to move inland later in the day as an extremely powerful storm.Simon has strengthened to 155 mph (250 kph), only just below the threshold for becoming a Category 5 storm, the highest on the Saffir Simpson scale. It was about 60 miles (100 kilometers) west-southwest of Manzanilla and moving north-northwest at 6 mph (9 kph).The hurricane could bring 10 to 20 inches (25-50 cm) of rain over parts of southwestern Mexico, with some areas in the states of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco receiving up to 30 inches (76 centimeters).“This rainfall will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” the center warned.Jalisco state suspended classes on Friday and Monday in 22 coastal municipalities and began evacuating dozens of people from at-risk areas. It also asked the tourism sector in Puerto Vallarta, a popular destination for