After intensifying at dizzying speed, Hurricane Otis came ashore on Mexico’s Pacific Coast near Acapulco as a Category 5 storm, the likes of which the region has never seen.
As of early this morning, Otis weakened to a Category 4 hurricane, but it still threatens to cause catastrophic damage from high winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge.
Otis’ centre slammed into Mexico’s coast around 12:25 a.m. local time with sustained winds of 165 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. It marks the first time a Category 5 hurricane made landfall in the Eastern Pacific.
The beach at Mexico's resort of Acapulco. (Photo Credit: Gobierno QR)
A hurricane warning is in effect for coastal Punta Maldonado westward to Zihuatanejo.
The storm is expected to rapidly weaken as it moves inland and over southern Mexico’s higher terrain, where it will likely dissipate Wednesday night, the hurricane center added.
Yesterday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador implored coastal residents of the state of Guerrero, including the beach resort city of Acapulco, to seek shelter and stay away from rivers, streams and ravines ahead of the storm’s landfall.
Early news reports show severe flooding in Acapulco, home to 1 million people.
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