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As Puerto Vallarta prepares for the start of the Pacific hurricane season this week, local authorities are warning residents and visitors to be ready for months of heavy rain, flooding and potentially dangerous tropical systems that experts say could be more intense than usual this year.
Municipal officials recently installed Puerto Vallarta’s Civil Protection Council for the 2026 rainy and hurricane season, bringing together emergency responders, public works officials, health agencies, security forces and tourism representatives to coordinate storm preparedness and emergency response plans ahead of the first major storms.
The city’s preparations include:
- reviewing evacuation routes,
- identifying temporary shelters,
- monitoring rivers and arroyos,
- positioning emergency equipment,
- and coordinating communication between municipal, state and federal agencies.
For Puerto Vallarta, the greatest danger during hurricane season is often not a direct hurricane strike, but the severe flooding and infrastructure damage that can accompany tropical storms and prolonged rainfall events.
The city’s geography — nestled between Banderas Bay and the Sierra Madre mountains — makes it especially vulnerable to overflowing rivers, flash flooding, mudslides and road collapses during heavy rains.
Residents still remember Hurricane Nora in 2021, when torrential rainfall caused major flooding along the Cuale River, damaging businesses, roads and infrastructure in the downtown area. In 2015, Hurricane Patricia — one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere — placed much of the Jalisco coast, including Puerto Vallarta, under high alert before weakening prior to landfall.
This year, forecasters say conditions are raising new concerns.
Mexico’s Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) forecasts between 18 and 21 tropical cyclones in the eastern Pacific this season, including up to five major hurricanes.
AccuWeather’s preseason outlook predicts an even more active Pacific season, forecasting between 17 and 22 named storms, including as many as 13 hurricanes and eight major hurricanes. Meteorologists also warn that Mexico could experience more direct tropical impacts than average this year.
Meteorologists say the biggest factor is the likely development of El Niño conditions later this year. El Niño typically increases hurricane activity in the eastern Pacific while creating warmer ocean temperatures that can fuel stronger storms and rapid intensification near Mexico’s Pacific coast.
That concern intensified after Hurricane Otis rapidly strengthened before devastating Acapulco in 2023.
Experts warn that rapidly intensifying storms leave coastal communities with far less time to prepare.
Even storms that stay offshore can create dangerous conditions for Puerto Vallarta, including:
- flooding,
- dangerous surf,
- landslides,
- power outages,
- fallen trees,
- and transportation disruptions across the bay region.
Tourism operators, marinas and hotels throughout Puerto Vallarta are also reviewing emergency procedures as the city heads into one of its busiest tourism years in recent memory.
Puerto Vallarta’s rainy season typically begins in June and peaks between July and September, when intense afternoon and evening storms become common.
Authorities are urging residents to:
- clear drains and rooftops,
- avoid dumping debris into waterways,
- prepare emergency supply kits,
- monitor official forecasts,
- and avoid crossing flooded streets or arroyos during storms.
Officials emphasized that seasonal hurricane forecasts cannot predict exactly where storms will make landfall, but they say preparation is critical because a single storm can cause major local damage.
Additional local weather and storm coverage can also be found through Out & About PV, the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional and Conagua México.
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