After growing into an intense Category 3 hurricane over the weekend, Roslyn made landfall along the west-central mainland of Mexico in Nayarit Sunday morning before being downgraded to a tropical storm later in the afternoon.
At least two people died due to Roslyn’s damaging winds and storms
A 74-year-old man was killed in the town of Mexcaltitan when a beam fell on his head, Nayarit state’s Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection told Reuters. The other was a 39-year-old woman who died when a fence collapsed in the Rosamorada municipality.
On the coast of Nayarit, two people had to be rescued during the storm after becoming trapped in a rising river. They were both taken to a temporary shelter.
Extensive damage was reported to houses in northern Nayarit, according to Manuel Salcedo Osuna, the mayor of Acaponeta. Images from Nayarit of Roslyn’s aftermath showed cars submerged in water and homes with significant damage to their roofs and overhangs.
Roslyn grew into a Category 4 hurricane on Saturday before being downgraded to Category 3 for its landfall at approximately 5:20 a.m. local time Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Roslyn’s maximum winds at landfall were estimated to be 120 miles per hour, and the storm was moving north-northeast at 16 mph. The storm’s wind intensity decreased dramatically after landfall, as was expected.
The storm was downgraded to a tropical storm with maximum winds decreasing to near 45 mph by the afternoon, the NHC said. By 11 p.m. on Sunday, Roslyn had dissipated entirely.
Emergency officials were deployed to the most affected areas.
Beaches along the coast have remained closed, with the NHC warning of strong waves “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
Heavy rainfall will likely continue in some areas of the storm’s path, the NHC said, warning that the rain could lead to flash flooding and landslides in areas with rugged terrain.
As the week progresses, forecasters say Roslyn’s remnant will likely spread moisture to the south-central United States, resulting in heavy rain across much of the country.
“A storm moving out of the Rockies will pick up some of the tropical moisture to start this week,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bill Deger explained.
That could result in much-needed rain, including the risk of strong thunderstorms, from Texas into the central Plains and Midwest, Deger added.
