By Nouran Salahieh | CNN
Hurricane Lidia made landfall in west-central Mexico Tuesday as an “extremely dangerous” category 4 storm, bringing fierce winds and heavy rain to the area and threatening significant flooding, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The hurricane’s center, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, slammed into the state of Jalisco, near Las Penitas, shortly before 6 p.m. MT, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Lidia is expected to pound the region with generally 4 to 8 inches of rain, and even up to 12 inches in some areas, likely fueling flash flooding and mudslides, the hurricane center said.
“A dangerous storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding near and to the south of where Lidia made landfall. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the hurricane center said.
Lidia is moving toward the east-northeast at around 16 mph, with hurricane-force winds extending 30 miles out. Lidia’s center is expected to move inland over west-central Mexico Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
