Puerto Vallarta reopens as beach red flags remain

Puerto Vallarta has resumed tourism and transportation activities after Hurricane Simón moved away, but red flags remain on every beach in the municipality and visitors are being urged to stay out of the sea while risks persist.

Protection Civil and Firefighters Jalisco authorized public transportation and general services to reopen at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 12. Ground bus lines resumed service, and the roads toward Guadalajara remain open. Puerto Vallarta is among the municipalities scheduled to resume activities, alongside Cabo Corrientes, La Huerta, Tomatlán, Autlán de Navarro, Talpa de Allende, El Grullo, Mascota, San Sebastián del Oeste, and Cihuatlán.

All commercial operations at Puerto Vallarta International Airport were enabled from 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 13, while the airport resumed official flights at 2:30 p.m. Passengers were advised to confirm flight status with their airlines. Tourist establishments are advancing the reopening of services, and tours and recreational activities are gradually resuming, although nautical activities and cruise-ship reception remain subject to the corresponding authorizations.

Along the coast, the red flag indicates dangerous conditions for any aquatic activity. Salvamento Acuático is urging residents and visitors not to enter the sea, including for swimming near the shore. Authorities are also asking people to respect the flags, marked areas, and instructions from security personnel while elevated waves caused by Simón’s remnants continue.

Some areas of Puerto Vallarta’s Malecón have access restrictions, with designated perimeters marked off because of sea conditions. The restrictions were reported by the Municipal Directorate of Civil Protection and Firefighters, but the specific sections are not established here.

Heavy rainfall caused severe flooding along avenida Francisco Villa. The affected section extended from the intersection with Morelia to the area near SEAPAL and Los Chatos, where accumulated water turned the road into a powerful current. The flooding caused vehicular traffic and public and private transportation flow to collapse and severely affected access toward nearby neighborhoods. Emergency response teams were mobilized at strategic points in the city.

Reports differ on Simón’s intensity: one account said the hurricane strengthened to Category 2 off Jalisco, while another said it weakened to Category 2. The National Meteorological Service recorded maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour at 9:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 13, with gusts of up to 215 kilometers per hour. The National Hurricane Center reported maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h), a minimum central pressure of 965 mb, and a center near 20.0, -107.7 at 11:00 p.m. MST.

Simón was moving westward at 4 kilometers per hour and was expected to remain nearly stationary over the Pacific Ocean for the next two days. The system will continue generating elevated waves along the coasts of Jalisco, Nayarit, and Baja California Sur, and any change in its direction or speed could change the outlook.

For this week, confirm flight status with the airline, check tour or recreational-activity availability directly with the provider, and follow official bulletins before heading to the beach or Malecón.