Hurricane Erick path and updates as storm rapidly intensifies to Category 2
Erick is expected to become a major hurricane as it moves towards southern Mexico, with heavy rainfall and damaging winds being a major concern for the area
Hurricane Erick, the fifth tempest of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, is gathering momentum as it heads towards Mexico.
On Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Centre announced that Erick is predicted to intensify swiftly today and evolve into a significant hurricane as it nears southern Mexico by Thursday.
ET Wednesday, Erick was upgraded to a Category 2 storm with nearly 100 mph sustained winds and higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend 15 miles, while tropical storm-force winds reach 105 miles from its centre.
The storm is anticipated to strike the southern coast of Mexico Wednesday night and then move inland on Thursday.
Consequently, there's a hurricane warning in effect from Acapulco to Puerto Ángel, and a hurricane watch for areas west of Acapulco to Tecpan de Galeana, reports the Mirror US.
A tropical storm warning is also in place from east of Puerto Ángel to Salina Cruz and for the area west of Acapulco to Tecpan de Galeana.
READ MORE: Miracle of seat 11A as singer survived fatal plane crash in exact same position
The National Hurricane Centre reported that Tropical Storm Erick is accelerating in speed and is expected to develop into a major hurricane before making landfall.
A major hurricane is classified as Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, which means it will have winds between 111 mph and 129 mph-enough to cause some serious damage, according to NOAA.
Hurricane Erick is forecast to unleash heavy rain on Mexico, with between eight and 16 inches expected in some regions, and up to 20 inches in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero.
The National Hurricane Centre has warned that this could trigger severe flooding and mudslides, particularly in areas with rugged terrain.
Meanwhile, the states of Chiapas, Michoacán, Colima, Jalisco, and Mexico City are bracing themselves for two to four inches of rain.
A storm surge is also predicted to hit the coast, causing sea levels to rise and leading to coastal flooding and destructive waves.
One area expected to bear the brunt of the storm is Acapulco, which is still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Otis in October 2023.
Hurricane Otis made landfall as a Category 5 storm, bringing with it winds of up to 115 mph, and causing widespread damage and loss of life after its winds intensified at a record-breaking rate.
"We are left with nothing," one woman told CBS.
"Everything is damaged."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
4 hours ago
- NBC News
Hurricane Erick strengthens to major storm as Mexico's Pacific coast preps for its arrival
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Hurricane Erick has intensified into a Category 3 major hurricane threatening approaching southern Mexico's coast with destructive winds and heavy rain, the U.S. Hurricane Center said Wednesday evening. The Miami-based center warned Erick has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph after hours of rapid intensification, strengthening from a Category 1 storm earlier in the day. The cyclone is in the eastern Pacific about 55 miles south-southwest of Puerto Angel in Mexico. It's also about 160 miles southeast of Punta Maldonado and moving northwest at 9 mph, the latest hurricane center advisory said. The storm's projected path would take its center near the resort of Acapulco, which was devastated in October 2023 by Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught many unprepared. At least 52 people died in Otis and 32 were missing, after the storm severely damaged almost all of the resort's hotels. In Acapulco Wednesday, there was a strong presence of National Guard and police in the streets, but most visible were trucks from the national power company. Crews worked to clear drainage canals and brush. Some beaches were already closed, but tourists continued to sunbathe on others. On a beach in Acapulco, a line of people waited for the help of a backhoe to pull their boats out of the water. Adrián Acevedo Durantes, 52, hauls tourists around Acapulco's picturesque coastline in boats. Two of his boats sank in Hurricane Otis and a third was badly damaged. 'We're taking precautions because with Otis we never expected one of that magnitude to come and now with climate change the water is warmer and the hurricanes are more powerful,' Acevedo said. This time the port administration ordered that no one ride out the storm aboard their boats. During Otis many lost their lives by staying on boats in the harbor, which had traditionally been how they ensured their safety during previous storms. He said knew some of those lost at sea. He acknowledged that it was sunny and the water calm Wednesday afternoon, making it hard to imagine a major storm was on the way, but said 'with Otis it was calm all day, sunny, then at midnight there were two hours of strong winds and we saw what had happened the next day.' Francisco Casarubio, a 46-year-old choreographer, carried a carton of eggs as he did some last-minute shopping ahead of the storm. He planned to pick up rice, beans and some canned food as well. His home flooded and lost power in Otis and said he was taking Erick more seriously, but hadn't had time to shop until Wednesday. Forecasters said Erick was expected to lash Mexico's Pacific coast with heavy rain, strong winds and a fierce storm surge. Rains of up to 16 inches (40 centimeters) could fall across the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, with lesser totals in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states, the center's advisory said. The rainfall threatened flooding and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain. Down the coast in Puerto Escondido near the southern edge of Erick's possible path, some fishermen began pulling their boats out of the water under a drizzling sky Wednesday. Even though the wind had yet to pick up at the Zicatela beach, red flags were up to warn people to stay out of the water. But some surfers ignored them as they continued to ride waves. Laura Velázquez, Mexico's national civil defense coordinator, said Erick was forecast to bring 'torrential' rains to Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas in southern Mexico. The mountainous region along the coast is especially prone to mudslides, and there are numerous rivers that could jump their banks. Guerrero Gov. Evelyn Salgado said all schools were closed Wednesday and the state had alerted all of the fishing and tourism operators of the risk of the coming storm and recommended they prepare their boats. Acapulco's port closed Tuesday evening. She said 582 shelters were prepared to receive people who might evacuate their homes.
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Hurricane Erick path and updates as storm rapidly intensifies to Category 2
Erick is expected to become a major hurricane as it moves towards southern Mexico, with heavy rainfall and damaging winds being a major concern for the area Hurricane Erick, the fifth tempest of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, is gathering momentum as it heads towards Mexico. On Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Centre announced that Erick is predicted to intensify swiftly today and evolve into a significant hurricane as it nears southern Mexico by Thursday. ET Wednesday, Erick was upgraded to a Category 2 storm with nearly 100 mph sustained winds and higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend 15 miles, while tropical storm-force winds reach 105 miles from its centre. The storm is anticipated to strike the southern coast of Mexico Wednesday night and then move inland on Thursday. Consequently, there's a hurricane warning in effect from Acapulco to Puerto Ángel, and a hurricane watch for areas west of Acapulco to Tecpan de Galeana, reports the Mirror US. A tropical storm warning is also in place from east of Puerto Ángel to Salina Cruz and for the area west of Acapulco to Tecpan de Galeana. READ MORE: Miracle of seat 11A as singer survived fatal plane crash in exact same position The National Hurricane Centre reported that Tropical Storm Erick is accelerating in speed and is expected to develop into a major hurricane before making landfall. A major hurricane is classified as Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, which means it will have winds between 111 mph and 129 mph-enough to cause some serious damage, according to NOAA. Hurricane Erick is forecast to unleash heavy rain on Mexico, with between eight and 16 inches expected in some regions, and up to 20 inches in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero. The National Hurricane Centre has warned that this could trigger severe flooding and mudslides, particularly in areas with rugged terrain. Meanwhile, the states of Chiapas, Michoacán, Colima, Jalisco, and Mexico City are bracing themselves for two to four inches of rain. A storm surge is also predicted to hit the coast, causing sea levels to rise and leading to coastal flooding and destructive waves. One area expected to bear the brunt of the storm is Acapulco, which is still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Otis in October 2023. Hurricane Otis made landfall as a Category 5 storm, bringing with it winds of up to 115 mph, and causing widespread damage and loss of life after its winds intensified at a record-breaking rate. "We are left with nothing," one woman told CBS. "Everything is damaged."
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Here's why Hurricane Erick is quickly strengthening into dangerous storm
Having doubled in strength in less than a day and still expected to grow further, Hurricane Erick on Wednesday chugged through the ideal environment to power up quickly as it approached Mexico 's southern Pacific Coast. This type of rapid intensification has become more common in a warmer climate, especially in the Atlantic and near the United States, which is not where Erick is now, scientists said. Last year, there were there 34 incidents of rapid intensification — when a storm gains at least 35 mph in 24 hours — which is about twice as many as average and causes problems with forecasting, according to the National Hurricane Center. Erick, an otherwise run-of-the-mill hurricane that's strong but not unusual, gained 50 mph in just 18 hours and was still powering up as it neared the coast. Because of where it's heading — near Acapulco — and it's rapid intensification, Erick brings back bad memories of deadly Otis, which seemed to come from out of nowhere to smack Mexico with a top-of-the-scale Category 5 hurricane in 2023. But Erick is no Otis, especially because of their timing. Erick is an early-season storm and Otis hit in October. Forming in October, Otis grew stronger by churning up deeper warmer water because it was later in the year. Erick is early in the year and the deep water it would churn up is cooler and doesn't fuel rapid intensification. Even so, the surface water is plenty hot enough, said MIT hurricane scientist Kerry Emanuel. All the ingredients are otherwise perfect for Erick's power-up, said University at Albany atmospheric scientist Kristen Corbosiero. Dry air often stops rapid intensification, but Erick hasn't run into dry air and the atmosphere around it is extremely moist, she said. It's got a good stormy eye forming and has what would be the ideal shape of a strengthening storm, she said. The water around Erick is warm enough for a storm to form and power up quickly, but it's not warmer than normal for this time of year, so that's not odd, Corbosiero said. However, it's warm enough that it is 'a pretty safe bet″ that it will continue to gain strength until it gets close to land, Emanuel said. Studies have linked human-caused climate change in general to more bouts of rapid intensification, as well as wetter and slower storms, Corbosiero said. But it would take more study, usually after the storm hits, to find any potential link between global warming and Erick in particular, if there is one, she said. Aside from its quick powering up, Erick 'doesn't seem to be particularly unusual,' Corbosiero said. The only thing that's unusual so far is that this is the fifth eastern Pacific storm a month into the season there, which is a little more active than normal, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. And it's likely that when Erick hits, it will be the strongest storm to make landfall in that part of Mexico this early in the season, he said. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
