Latest news with #PacificHurricane
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Climate
- 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.
CBS News
12 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Hurricane Erick makes landfall in Mexico's western Oaxaca as Category 3 storm that could bring "life-threatening" flooding
Hurricane Erick — the fifth named storm of the 2025 Eastern Pacific hurricane season — made landfall as a Category 3 storm in southern Mexico's Oaxaca on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said shortly after 7:30 a.m. ET. Despite the downgrade from Category 4, the hurricane center has warned that the storm's strong winds and rain are expected to cause "life-threatening flooding and mudslides." Earlier Thursday, Erick had grown to "an extremely dangerous" Category 4 with 140 mph winds after undergoing rapid intensification. It made landfall in the western part of Oaxaca, just east of Punta Maldonado, with sustained winds nearly 125 mph and higher gusts. Those hurricane-force winds extend 25 miles from its center, with tropical storm-force winds extending up to 90 miles. Erick is the first major hurricane of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, which runs from May 15 to Nov. 30. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Major Hurricane #Erick makes landfall in extreme western Oaxaca, Mexico just east of Punta Maldonado. The estimated maximum sustained winds are near 125 mph (205 km/h). Visit for details. — NHC Pacific (@NHC_Pacific) June 19, 2025 "Erick is expected to rapidly weaken over the mountains of Mexico," the hurricane center said after it made landfall, "and the system is likely to dissipate tonight or early Friday." According to NOAA's National Weather Service, Category 3 hurricanes with this wind strength can cause "devastating damage," and can lead to power outages lasting several days to weeks. A hurricane warning is in effect for Acapulco to Puerto Angel and a watch has been issued from west of Acapulco to Tecpan de Galeana. Erick's categorization on the Saffir-Simpson scale only accounts for wind, and not the elements that tend to be the most deadly in cyclones. "Water hazards — storm surge and inland flooding — have historically been the leading causes of loss of life during hurricanes," NOAA warns. "Hurricanes can also bring strong winds, tornadoes, rough surf, and rip currents." Erick is forecast to produce between 8 to 12 inches of rain, with maximum totals of 16 inches across the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, the National Hurricane Center said, leading to "life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain." Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco are expected to see between 2 and 4 inches of rain. "Dangerous, life-threatening" storm surge, which is a rise in sea level during the storm, is also expected to create coastal flooding near and to the west of where the center of the storm hits land," the center said, and be accompanied by "large and destructive waves." Acapulco, an area that was devastated by Hurricane Otis in October 2023, is among the areas facing impacts. Otis hit the city as a Category 5 and left dozens of people dead after its wind speeds increased by 115 mph in a single day — the second-fastest recorded rate in modern times, according to the National Hurricane Center. "We are left with nothing," one woman said. "Everything is damaged."
