Hurricane Otis hit the Pacific coast of southern Mexico early Wednesday morning, making landfall as a dangerous Category 5 storm. The National Hurricane Center warned that “catastrophic damage” could occur in the Acapulco area. Videos posted online showed strong winds and rain lashing the popular seaside resort as the storm made landfall.
Mexico’s national civil protection agency said in a tweet that there were already power outages in parts of Guerrero state as the storm came ashore, and residents in the area were warned to remain calm and seek shelter until authorities confirmed the danger had passed. The agency urged people to stay away from windows, turn off electrical devices, avoid contact with water and metal objects and follow updates from official sources.
Otis strengthened According to the hurricane center, the hurricane transformed from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in just about 12 hours before making landfall to the east at 1:25 a.m. The storm hit the coast of Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 165 miles per hour and hurricane-force winds extending up to 30 miles from its center.
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The hurricane center warned that “catastrophic damage” was likely as the eye of the storm moved offshore.
It was forecast that there will be between 20 and 50 centimeters of rain in the Mexican states of Guerrero and Oaxaca by Thursday and that there could also be “life-threatening coastal flooding.”
The hurricane center warned of “extremely destructive winds near the core” of Otis, with strong gusts posing a threat to the upper floors of high-rise buildings.
Members of federal forces chat while keeping watch on a beach as Hurricane Otis barrels toward Acapulco, Mexico, October 24, 2023. JAVIER VERDIN/Portal
A storm is considered a major hurricane when it reaches Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale because of the potential for “significant loss of life and damage,” according to the hurricane center.
A hurricane warning was in effect for Punta Maldonado west of Zihuatanejo.
Mexico’s army and navy deployed more than 8,000 soldiers to Guerrero, an impoverished state wracked by violence linked to organized crime, and provided them with specialized equipment to help with rescue operations.
The projected path of Hurricane Otis, 1 a.m. East on October 25, 2023. NOAA/National Weather Service
Authorities closed the port of Acapulco, which is home to around 300 fishing boats. The beach town of about a million people is a major tourist destination.
“We are on high alert,” Acapulco Mayor Abelina López said Tuesday evening, according to the AP, urging residents to either stay home or seek safety in one of the emergency shelters set up in the city.
Danielle Banks, meteorologist for The Weather Channel, said Otis was expected to weaken after landfall, and the hurricane center said Otis was “likely to dissipate over southern Mexico by Wednesday evening.”
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