Hurricane Simon meandered over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean west of Mexico on Tuesday.  At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Hurricane Simon was located at latitude 20.1°N and longitude 107.6°W which put the center about 125 miles (200 km) west of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico.  Simon was moving toward the west at 2 m.p.h. (3 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 110 m.p.h. (175 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 130 m.p.h. (210 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 965 mb.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Las Islas Marias.

Hurricane Simon strengthened on Tuesday evening as it meandered just to the west of Mexico.

A very small circular eye with a diameter of 6 miles (10 km) was at the center of Hurricane Simon.  The eye was surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms.  Short bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Simon’s circulation.  Storms near the core of Simon generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the hurricane.  The removal of mass in the upper levels was greater than the convergence of mass in the lower levels of the atmosphere.  So, the surface pressure decreased on Tuesday evening.

The circulation around Hurricane Simon was very small.  Winds to hurricane force extended out 15 miles (25 km) from the center of Simon’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 35 miles (55 km) from the center of Hurricane Simon.

The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Hurricane Simon is 19.2.  The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) is 4.7 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) is 23.9.  Hurricane Simon is similar in intensity to Hurricane Zeta when Zeta hit Louisiana in 2020.  Simon is much smaller than Zeta was.

Hurricane Simon will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 12 hours.  Simon will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 30°C.  It will move under the middle of an upper level ridge that is over Mexico and the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The upper level winds are weak near the middle of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear.  Hurricane Simon could intensify back to a major hurricane during the next 12 hours.  Simon could meander back over cooler water it has mixed to the surface later on Wednesday.  If Simon meanders over that cooler water, then it is likely to weaken, because it will extract less energy from the ocean.

Hurricane Simon will be in an area where the steering winds are weak during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Hurricane Simon will continue to meander slowly west of Mexico on Wednesday.

Elsewhere over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Trudy formed south of Mexico.

At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Tropical Storm Trudy was located at latitude 20.1°N and longitude 107.6°W which put the center about 440 miles (705 km) south-southeast of Acapulco, Mexico.  Trudy was moving toward the northwest at 10 m.p.h. 165 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 45 m.p.h. (75 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 60 m.p.h. (95 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 1004 mb.