Hurricane Erick upgraded to Category 4, on track for landfall in Mexico
Hurricane Erick has been upgraded to an 'extremely dangerous' Category 4 storm and is expected to make landfall in southern Mexico in the coming hours, bringing destructive winds, heavy rainfall, life-threatening floods and storm surges, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday.
The hurricane is off Mexico's southern Pacific coast, about 70 miles from Puerto Ángel and 90 miles from Punta Maldonado, the NHC said in a public advisory. It is traveling about 9 mph and is expected to make landfall in the state of Oaxaca or Guerrero before moving inland, the agency said. A hurricane warning is in effect for areas from the resort city of Acapulco to the small coastal town of Puerto Ángel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Erick makes landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, the strongest to hit Mexico so early in the year
Hurricane Erick slammed into Mexico's Oaxaca state as a dangerous Category 3 storm Thursday morning, unleashing powerful winds at the coast while spreading heavy rain over the region. The hurricane made landfall about 20 miles east of Punta Maldonado, Mexico, just after 6 a.m. CDT Thursday, according to NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Winds of 125 mph were roaring around its center at landfall. The storm came ashore about 100 miles east of Acapulco, the city devastated by Hurricane Otis in October 2023. Erick is the first major hurricane – Category 3 or greater – on record to hit Mexico before July. The hurricane maxed out as a ferocious Category 4 storm with 145 mph winds just off the coast in the earliest hours of Thursday morning. It underwent extreme rapid intensification from Tuesday night into Wednesday night, strengthening from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in just 24 hours. Rapid intensification is becoming more frequent in a world warming due to fossil fuel pollution. Erick will deteriorate quickly as it tracks through Mexico's steep mountains Thursday and is should dissipate by early Friday. It was already a Category 1 hurricane a few hours after landfall. Despite that, it will drop a troubling amount of rain in a short period that could cause dangerous flooding. The East Pacific hurricane season has been very busy since it began in mid-May. Erick is already the fifth named storm of the season – storms are named when they reach at least tropical storm-strength – and the second hurricane. The basin doesn't typically have its second hurricane until mid-July, according to NOAA. The Atlantic hurricane season is also underway, but has yet to churn out its first named storm and there's little prospect for it in the next few days. President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a video message Wednesday night that all activities in the region in Erick's path were suspended and she urged people to stay in their homes or to move to shelters if they lived in low-lying areas, the Associated Press reported. Acapulco's port closed Tuesday evening. Guerrero state Gov. Evelyn Salgado said all movement in Acapulco and other beach communities was to be suspended at 8 p.m. Wednesday in a post on X, and schools across the state were to remain closed through Thursday. Salgado said 582 shelters were set to receive people who might evacuate their homes across Guerrero. Laura Velázquez, Mexico's national civil defense coordinator, said Erick was forecast to bring 'torrential' rains to Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas states, according to the AP. The mountainous region along the southern coast is especially prone to mudslides with numerous rivers at risk of flooding. Nearly 16 inches of rain could fall through the end of the week in some portions of Guerrero's mountainous terrain, according to the NHC. This could trigger life-threatening flooding or mudslides. Up to 8 inches of rain is possible in the same timeframe for coastal areas of Oaxaca and Guerrero. Acapulco could record up to 6 inches of rain from Erick, but will not face the hurricane's most powerful winds. Tropical storm-force gusts up to 45 mph are possible in the area Thursday. In Acapulco on Wednesday, there was a strong presence of National Guard and police in the streets, but most visible were trucks from the national power company, the AP reported. Crews worked to clear drainage canals and brush. The memory of Hurricane Otis haunted some residents as they prepared for Erick. Otis underwent some of the most extreme rapid intensification on record and strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane just before landfall. Carlos Ozuna Romero, 51, lost his restaurant at the edge of an Acapulco beach when Otis slammed the resort with devastating winds, he told the AP. On Wednesday, he directed workers storing tables and chairs. 'Authorities' warnings fill us with fear and obviously make us remember everything we've already been through,' Ozuna Romero said in reference to Otis. CNN Meteorologist Monica Garrett contributed to this report.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Erick makes landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, the strongest to hit Mexico so early in the year
Hurricane Erick slammed into Mexico's Oaxaca state as a dangerous Category 3 storm Thursday morning, unleashing powerful winds at the coast while spreading heavy rain over the region. The hurricane made landfall about 20 miles east of Punta Maldonado, Mexico, just after 6 a.m. CDT Thursday, according to NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Winds of 125 mph were roaring around its center at landfall. The storm came ashore about 100 miles east of Acapulco, the city devastated by Hurricane Otis in October 2023. Erick is the first major hurricane – Category 3 or greater – on record to hit Mexico before July. The hurricane maxed out as a ferocious Category 4 storm with 145 mph winds just off the coast in the earliest hours of Thursday morning. It underwent extreme rapid intensification from Tuesday night into Wednesday night, strengthening from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in just 24 hours. Rapid intensification is becoming more frequent in a world warming due to fossil fuel pollution. Erick will deteriorate quickly as it tracks through Mexico's steep mountains Thursday and is should dissipate by early Friday. It was already a Category 1 hurricane a few hours after landfall. Despite that, it will drop a troubling amount of rain in a short period that could cause dangerous flooding. The East Pacific hurricane season has been very busy since it began in mid-May. Erick is already the fifth named storm of the season – storms are named when they reach at least tropical storm-strength – and the second hurricane. The basin doesn't typically have its second hurricane until mid-July, according to NOAA. The Atlantic hurricane season is also underway, but has yet to churn out its first named storm and there's little prospect for it in the next few days. President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a video message Wednesday night that all activities in the region in Erick's path were suspended and she urged people to stay in their homes or to move to shelters if they lived in low-lying areas, the Associated Press reported. Acapulco's port closed Tuesday evening. Guerrero state Gov. Evelyn Salgado said all movement in Acapulco and other beach communities was to be suspended at 8 p.m. Wednesday in a post on X, and schools across the state were to remain closed through Thursday. Salgado said 582 shelters were set to receive people who might evacuate their homes across Guerrero. Laura Velázquez, Mexico's national civil defense coordinator, said Erick was forecast to bring 'torrential' rains to Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas states, according to the AP. The mountainous region along the southern coast is especially prone to mudslides with numerous rivers at risk of flooding. Nearly 16 inches of rain could fall through the end of the week in some portions of Guerrero's mountainous terrain, according to the NHC. This could trigger life-threatening flooding or mudslides. Up to 8 inches of rain is possible in the same timeframe for coastal areas of Oaxaca and Guerrero. Acapulco could record up to 6 inches of rain from Erick, but will not face the hurricane's most powerful winds. Tropical storm-force gusts up to 45 mph are possible in the area Thursday. In Acapulco on Wednesday, there was a strong presence of National Guard and police in the streets, but most visible were trucks from the national power company, the AP reported. Crews worked to clear drainage canals and brush. The memory of Hurricane Otis haunted some residents as they prepared for Erick. Otis underwent some of the most extreme rapid intensification on record and strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane just before landfall. Carlos Ozuna Romero, 51, lost his restaurant at the edge of an Acapulco beach when Otis slammed the resort with devastating winds, he told the AP. On Wednesday, he directed workers storing tables and chairs. 'Authorities' warnings fill us with fear and obviously make us remember everything we've already been through,' Ozuna Romero said in reference to Otis. CNN Meteorologist Monica Garrett contributed to this report.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hurricane Erick slams Mexico's Pacific Coast as a powerful Cat 3 storm
Hurricane Erick, which rapidly intensified overnight, made landfall Thursday morning on Mexico's Pacific Coast as a powerful Category 3 storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Erick came ashore in Mexico's western state of Oaxaca packing sustained winds of 125 mph and heavy rain, accordin to the NHC. The hurricane was located on Thursday morning about 20 miles east of Punta Maldonado and was moving northwest at about 9 mph, according to the NHC. Before making landfall, the Erick had spooled up to an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, but was downgraded to a Cat 3 before making landfall, the NHC center reported. Erick is the first Pacific Category 3 hurricane on record to make landfall over Mexico in June. A hurricane warning remained in effect Thursday from Acapulco to Puerto Angel. It remained unclear if villages along Mexico's populated Pacific Coast had sustained damaged. There have been no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. MORE: From severe storms to sizzling heat, Midwest and Northeast in store for whiplash weather change The major hurricane appeared to hit he coastline between the resort towns of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido in an area near the border of Oaxaca and Guerrero states, according to the NHC. As it sweeps across the state of Oaxaca, Erick is expected to slam parts of the region with strong winds and heavy rain for most of Thursday before weakening over land by Friday. MORE: Video How the outlook for hurricane season could be impacted by climate change Erick will produce heavy rainfall up to 6 to 8 inches across southeastern Guerrero and west-coastal Oaxaca through Friday and likely trigger life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides -- especially in areas of steep terrain. Erick formed as a tropical storm early Tuesday in the Pacific Ocean near southern Mexico and rapidly intensified, reaching hurricane strength by Wednesday, according to the NHC.
