Hurricane Trudy Is Heading for Puerto Vallarta This Weekend, Here's What You Can Change and What You Can't Claim

Hurricane Trudy was a Category 3 storm with 120 mph sustained winds on the morning of 16 October 2026, and its closest approach to Puerto Vallarta is forecast for Saturday night into Sunday. If your airline cancels, you are owed a refund or rebooking, but weather is not grounds for cash compensation. WestJet has published a change waiver for Puerto Vallarta flights on 18 and 19 October; we could not confirm waivers from US airlines for Trudy.

Is Puerto Vallarta in the path of Hurricane Trudy?

It sits on the edge of the forecast track rather than in the centre. The storm was about 525 km south-southeast of Manzanillo on Friday morning and moving north-northwest. Mexico's weather service does not expect a landfall and expects the storm to weaken to a tropical storm near the coast. Hurricane conditions are expected from Manzanillo northward by late Saturday, while Puerto Vallarta faces a tropical storm watch. More watches and warnings were expected later on Friday, so check the National Hurricane Center advisory before you travel.

What does your airline owe you if Trudy cancels your flight?

If the flight is cancelled, you are owed a refund or a rebooking, but you are not owed compensation for weather. Under the US Department of Transportation refund rule, a passenger whose flight is cancelled can get a refund if they choose not to travel on the alternative offered. Our guide to the US DOT rule changes sets out what changed this month. Airlines in the US do not pay cash for weather cancellations, and the same applies on Canada's APPR, where weather is outside the airline's control. For flights on EU or UK airlines, the extraordinary circumstances rule exempts compensation but not care or rerouting.

Which airlines have published a Trudy waiver?

The only Trudy waiver we could verify is WestJet's, reported by Travelweek on 16 October, covering Puerto Vallarta flights on 18 and 19 October. The report did not give the rebooking window or fare-difference terms, so read WestJet's advisory page before you change anything. Waivers that American and Delta published for the earlier Hurricane Simon ran only to about 12 October and do not apply to Trudy. Our report on Hurricane Simon at Puerto Vallarta shows how those rules worked last week. If your airline has no waiver, ask whether a cancellation will be triggered before you rebook, because cancelling first usually forfeits your refund.

What can a Mexico storm teach a Himalayan trekker?

The lesson is the same on a Nepal trek: weather moves schedules and nobody pays you for it, so the protection is flexibility and cover. Our Annapurna Circuit trek runs in the post-monsoon window precisely because it is the stable season, and we plan buffer days around flights. We will update this article as the storm and the waivers change.

Cover photo: GEORGE DESIPRIS via Pexels (Pexels License). Section photos: Elmira Danilova via Pexels (Pexels licence); Dapur Melodi via Pexels (Pexels licence); K via Pexels (Pexels licence); Dan Wright via Pexels (Pexels licence); kumar dulal via Pexels (Pexels licence).