MIAMI — Hurricane Trudy strengthened to a major, Category 3 hurricane and forecasters said the storm was headed to the southwestern and west-central areas of Mexico’s Pacific coast. Early Friday, Trudy was about 250 miles (400 kilometres) southwest of Acapulco, Mexico, and about 355 miles (570 kilometres) south-southeast of Manzanillo, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 120 m.p.h. (195 km/h) while moving northwest at 6 m.p.h. (9 km/h), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami reported. A hurricane warning was in effect for Mexico’s coast from Cabo Corrientes northward to Punta San Telmo, while a tropical storm warning was issued from Zihuatanejo up the coast to Manzanillo, the centre said. To the northwest of Trudy, Tropical Storm Simon had 75 km/h (45 m.p.h. winds) and was forecast to weaken to a remnant low soon. Also in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Champi was east of Guam on Friday, moving west-northwest at 12 m.p.h. (19 km/h) with maximum sustained winds increasing to 52 m.p.h. (86 km/h), according to the U.S. Weather Service and the U.S. Navy’s Meteorology and Oceanography Command website. A typhoon warning was issued for Guam and Rota along with a tropical storm warning for Tinian, Saipan and nearby areas. The Associated Press
