ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Powerful Hurricane Erick made landfall in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca early Thursday as a major hurricane before moving inland and weakening as it dumped heavy rain, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
The hurricane’s center was located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north-northwest of Punta Maldonado around midday. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at 75 mph (120 kph). It was moving northwest at 12 mph (19 kph), the hurricane center said.
The storm was downgraded slightly before making landfall, from a powerful Category 4 to a Category 3.
The storm threaded the needle between the resorts of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido, tearing into a sparsely populated stretch of coastline near the border of Oaxaca and Guerrero states. Agricultural fields blanket the low-lying coastal area between small fishing villages.
Erick was expected to rapidly weaken as it crashed into the coastal mountains of southern Mexico, and the system is likely to dissipate late Thursday or early Friday, the hurricane center said.
The storm threatened to unleash destructive winds near where the eye crashes ashore, flash floods and a dangerous storm surge, forecasters said.
Storm moves south on approach
At first light Thursday, Acapulco awoke under ominous dark clouds. Rain started later in the morning with the arrival of stronger winds. There was light traffic in the streets.
Some residents shopped in the few open stores, fishermen went to the shore to check their boats and a few people took advantage of the calm for a quick swim.
However, the storm moved northwest just inland up the coast through midday, bringing heavy rain to the resort and the mountains that tower dramatically above it.
Still, it appeared Acapulco had dodged the worst at least in terms of Erick’s strong winds.
Late Wednesday, Erick’s projected path had crept south, closer to the resort city of Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca state with Acapulco up the coast to the northwest.
No injuries reported
President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday “the people have reacted very well so far.”
National Civil Defense Coordinator Laura Velázquez said Thursday that at the moment there were no reports of injuries. Water entered a public hospital in the Oaxaca resort of Huatulco, and there were fallen trees, cuts to power and landslides blocking highways.
But authorities warned the heavy rain would now become the problem.
Forecasters expected Erick 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.
Guerrero Gov. Evelyn Salgado urged residents of her state Thursday to not grow complacent after Erick made landfall in neighboring Oaxaca.
“In Guerrero we continue on maximum alert, Erick is still a danger with the intense rains, it could drop on our state in the coming hours,” she said.
Salgado said among 21 shelters that received families in Guerrero, the one in Punta Maldonado had the most with 757 people hunkering down there.
Acapulco still scarred by Otis
Acapulco residents had braced for Erick’s arrival with more preparation and trepidation because of the memory of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Otis two years earlier.
The city of nearly 1 million 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 the storm severely damaged almost all of the resort’s hotels.
On Thursday morning, Marcial Gallardo, a 60-year-old waiter stepped into the water of Acapulco's bay for a quick swim with his son. He said he takes a dip every day. Gallardo said he had tied down everything ahead of Erick after Otis had torn apart his home, and so far had fared well.
In Acapulco Thursday, 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.
Erick quickly doubled in strength
Having doubled in strength in less than a day, Erick churned through an ideal environment for quick intensification. Last year, there were 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 hurricane center.
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Sánchez reported from Acapulco, Mexico.
Fabiola Sánchez And Luis Alberto Cruz, The Associated Press
