PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico — Hurricane John grew into a major hurricane in a matter of hours, battering Mexico’s southern Pacific coast with the potential for life-threatening flooding. It made landfall late Monday night near the town of Punta Maldonado as a Category 3 storm with maximum winds of 120 mph. John’s rapid intensification left authorities scrambling to respond and warning people about the damage John could cause.
“Seek higher ground, protect yourselves and remember that life is the most important thing. Material things can be replaced. We are here,” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wrote on social media platform X.
John had weakened to a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph by early Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was expected to hit Punta Maldonado and the nearby tourist destinations of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido before weakening inland over the highlands.
David Zamora/Reuters
Before the storm made landfall, the center said “life-threatening” storm surges and flash floods were already wreaking havoc on the Pacific coast near Oaxaca.
Hurricane John poses increasing threat of rapid intensification
The unexpected increase in strength took scientists, officials and local residents by surprise, but AccuWeather senior meteorologist Matt Benz and other experts say warming ocean waters are what’s causing the hurricane to strengthen.
As a result, sudden increases in hurricane strength are becoming increasingly common, Bentz said.
“These are storms unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before,” he said.Rapid intensification It’s happening more frequently in modern times than recorded in history, which means something is happening.”
According to the National Hurricane Center, meteorologists define rapid development as a tropical storm’s maximum sustained winds increasing by at least 30 knots (about 35 miles per hour) in 24 hours.
Residents of the coastal city in Oaxaca state were on edge as forecasts changed and authorities responded.
Federal civil defense coordinator Laura Velazquez told residents of Pacific coastal cities to leave their homes and head to evacuation centres to “protect your life and the life of your family.”
“It’s very important that all coastal residents take precautions,” Velazquez said.
Ana Alday, 33, a restaurant employee on the waterfront in the tourist hub of Puerto Escondido, said shops in the area had started to close after authorities ordered all work to be halted on the area’s main beaches.
The governments of Guerrero and Oaxaca states announced they would suspend classes in several areas of the coastal region on Tuesday.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The governor of Oaxaca said the state government had evacuated 3,000 people and set up 80 evacuation centers, and that 1,000 military and state officials had been deployed to deal with the emergency.
Videos posted on social media from Puerto Escondido showed tourists in flip-flops wading through driving rain and fishermen pulling their boats out of the water, with heavy rains in the past few days making roads in the area already treacherous.
Aldai said she was “a little overwhelmed” by the quick notification from authorities. “We didn’t have a chance to do any necessary shopping. This is also confusing us,” she said.
The effects of Otis’ storm on the coastline a year ago remain.
Meteorologist Bentz expressed concern that the storm could weaken once it reaches land and stall along the coast, causing even more damage.
The hurricane comes as bad news for a region that was battered by a similar, fast-intensifying storm, Hurricane Otis, last year.
Otis devastated the resort city of Acapulco, where residents had little warning of the strength of the storm that was about to strike. It was one of the fastest-intensifying hurricanes in history, and scientists at the time said it was the result of climate change.
Otis cut off power to the city for days, bodies littered the coast, families frantically searched for missing loved ones, and much of the city became lawless, with thousands of people browsing stores and fighting for food and water.
Lopez Obrador’s administration was heavily criticized for its slow response to Ortiz, but authorities have since pledged to speed up the response.
President-elect Claudia Scheinbaum said the government will work to improve an early warning system similar to the one the country has in place for earthquakes.
By Thursday, John is expected to bring 6 to 12 inches of rain to coastal areas of Chiapas, with isolated areas expected to receive more. Areas along and near the Oaxaca coast and into southeastern Guerrero state are expected to receive 10 to 20 inches of rain by Thursday, with isolated areas expected to receive more.
“The effects of the storm will be felt for weeks and months to come,” Benz added.
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