Hurricane Trudy Weakens Near Mexico, Typhoon Champi Leaves Guam on Alert

Hurricane Trudy weakened off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Sunday, October 18, after bringing heavy rain and strong winds, while Typhoon Champi moved away from Guam following its close passage near the island. Conditions began improving, although authorities remained alert to lingering weather hazards and recovery challenges.

The US National Hurricane Center said Trudy’s maximum sustained winds had decreased to 130 kmph by Sunday evening, down from 155 kmph earlier. The storm was located approximately 355 kilometres west-northwest of Manzanillo and moving northwest at around 11 kmph. Forecasters expected it to weaken rapidly overnight and on Monday, potentially becoming a post-tropical low by Tuesday night.

Mexico lifted hurricane and tropical storm warnings along parts of the Pacific coast and around Las Islas Marias as Trudy moved farther offshore. However, authorities continued to warn of possible flooding and landslides across southwestern and west-central Mexico.

Before weakening, Trudy was forecast to bring 10-20 centimetres of rainfall to parts of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco, with isolated totals potentially reaching 30 centimetres. The Mexican Navy had urged residents and mariners to exercise caution because of high waves, rising rivers, dangerous coastal conditions and landslides, particularly in areas where successive storms had saturated the ground.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Champi moved away from Guam after passing approximately 16 kilometres south of Merizo, near the island’s southern tip, early Sunday. The storm had strengthened into a super typhoon before its closest approach, bringing damaging winds, heavy rain and the threat of flash flooding.

By Monday, Champi had weakened from super-typhoon status and was moving northwest into the Philippine Sea. Forecasters also cancelled Guam’s flood watch as the storm’s outer rainbands moved away from the area.

Guam’s A.B. Won Pat International Airport announced on Monday that it was fully operational, with scheduled airline arrivals and departures expected to resume normally. Travellers were advised to check with airlines for flight updates and rebooking information.

US President Donald Trump had approved an emergency declaration for Guam, authorising the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate federal assistance. The Northern Mariana Islands had also sought emergency disaster assistance. Both territories were still recovering from Super Typhoons Sinlaku and Bavi, which struck in April and July, respectively.