Here's Why Hurricane Erick Is Quickly Strengthening Into a Dangerous Storm
Having doubled in strength in less than a day and still expected to grow further, Hurricane Erick on Wednesday chugged through the ideal environment to power up quickly as it approached Mexico's southern Pacific Coast.
This type of rapid intensification has become more common in a warmer climate, especially in the Atlantic and near the US, which is not where Erick is now, scientists said. 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 National Hurricane Center. Erick, an otherwise run-of-the-mill hurricane that's strong but not unusual, gained 50 mph in just 18 hours and was still powering up as it neared the coast. Because of where it's heading – near Acapulco – and its rapid intensification, Erick brings back bad memories of deadly Otis, which seemed to come from out of nowhere to smack Mexico with a top-of-the-scale Category 5 hurricane in 2023. But Erick is no Otis, especially because of their timing. Erick is an early-season storm, and Otis hit in October. Forming in October, Otis grew stronger by churning up deeper, warmer water because it was later in the year. Erick is early in the year, and the deep water it would churn up is cooler and doesn't fuel rapid intensification.
Even so, the surface water is plenty hot enough, said MIT hurricane scientist Kerry Emanuel. All the ingredients are otherwise perfect for Erick's power-up, said University at Albany atmospheric scientist Kristen Corbosiero. Dry air often stops rapid intensification, but Erick hasn't run into dry air, and the atmosphere around it is extremely moist, she said. 'It's got a good stormy eye forming and has what would be the ideal shape of a strengthening storm,' she said. The water around Erick is warm enough for a storm to form and power up quickly, but it's not warmer than normal for this time of year, so that's not odd, Corbosiero said. However, it's warm enough that 'it is a pretty safe bet' that it will continue to gain strength until it gets close to land, Emanuel said. Studies have linked human-caused climate change in general to more bouts of rapid intensification, as well as wetter and slower storms, Corbosiero said. But it would take more study, usually after the storm hits, to find any potential link between global warming and Erick in particular, if there is one, she said. Aside from its quick powering up, Erick doesn't seem to be particularly unusual, Corbosiero said. 'The only thing that's unusual so far is that this is the fifth eastern Pacific storm a month into the season there, which is a little more active than normal,' said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. And it's likely that when Erick hits, it will be the strongest storm to make landfall in that part of Mexico this early in the season, he said.
The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
14 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Two dead in Mexico as Hurricane Erick moves on from Mexican coast
Hurricane Erick killed at least two people as it swept through southern Mexico, causing significant damage to coastal communities before weakening to a low-pressure system Thursday night, authorities said. A man was electrocuted while helping with debris removal in the southern Oaxaca state, where Erick made landfall, after handling high-voltage cables near a stream, the state government said. A child died in neighboring Guerrero state after being swept away by a swollen stream as his mother tried to carry him across in the town of San Marcos, civil protection authorities reported. The US National Hurricane Center's latest advisory at 3:00 a.m. GMT said Erick had weakened overnight to a tropical storm located 95 miles (155 kilometers) from Acapulco port, with sustained winds of 30 mph (50 km/h) as it moved across southern Mexico on Thursday. Coastal communities in Oaxaca, including Lagunas de Chacahua – home to around 2,800 people – were directly hit by the storm, which destroyed thatched roofs and flooded streets. 'It was very strong, very ugly… the entire town is homeless, without clothes, we have no help,' Francisca Avila, a 45-year-old housewife, told AFP, as she surveyed the loss of most of her belongings. In the tourist town of Puerto Escondido, residents and emergency personnel worked to drain flooded streets and clear debris left behind as the storm knocked over trees and street signs and buried boats under sand on the beach. Much of the town of about 30,000 people was left without electricity or cellphone coverage. The water 'had never hit with this magnitude' in Puerto Escondido, 44-year-old merchant Luis Alberto Gil, whose shop was among those flooded, told AFP. President Claudia Sheinbaum announced during her morning briefing that heavy rains are still expected in the southern states of Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas, as well as Veracruz and Puebla. She thanked the population for following the authorities' recommendations 'very responsibly,' in a message shared on her social media. The president reported 15 road sections closed in the state of Oaxaca, as well as more than 123,000 users affected by power outages. Mexico sees major storms every year, usually between May and November, on both its Pacific and Caribbean coasts. In October 2023, Acapulco, a major port and beach resort in Guerrero, was pummeled by Hurricane Otis, a powerful Category 5 storm that killed dozens of people. Hurricane John, another Category 3 storm that hit in September last year, caused about 15 deaths. Sheinbaum had urged people to avoid going out and advised those living in low-lying areas or near rivers to move to shelters – some 2,000 of which had been set up in Chiapas, Guerrero and Oaxaca in anticipation. 'Since (Erick) just made landfall, we are in contact with the Defense (department) and the Navy, who are in the area, and we will be able to inform in a few hours what the effects are on these populations,' she said at her daily press conference Thursday morning. Restaurants remained shuttered in Puerto Escondido even though some tourists insisted on staying and riding out the storm. Around 250 miles (400 kilometers) north along the Pacific coast, Acapulco – a major port and resort city famous for its nightlife – was largely deserted Thursday as residents heeded calls to hunker down, with shops boarded up and tourist boats grounded. Many had stocked up the day before on food, water and gasoline.
Arab News
14 hours ago
- Arab News
Two dead in Mexico as Hurricane Erick moves on from Mexican coast
PUERTO ESCONDIDO: Hurricane Erick killed at least two people as it swept through southern Mexico causing significant damage to coastal communities before weakening to a low-pressure system Thursday night, authorities said. A man was electrocuted while helping with debris removal in the southern Oaxaca state, where Erick made landfall, after handling high-voltage cables near a stream, the state government said. A child died in neighboring Guerrero state after being swept away by a swollen stream as his mother tried to carry him across in the town of San Marcos, civil protection authorities reported. The US National Hurricane Center's latest advisory at 0300 GMT said Erick had weakened overnight to a tropical storm located 95 miles (155 kilometers) from Acapulco port, with sustained winds of 30 mph (50 kmh) as it moved across southern Mexico on Thursday. Coastal communities in Oaxaca including Lagunas de Chacahua, home to around 2,800 people, were directly hit by the storm, which destroyed thatched roofs and flooded streets. 'It was very strong, very ugly... the entire town is homeless, without clothes, we have no help,' Francisca Avila, a 45-year-old housewife, told AFP, as she surveyed the loss of most of her belongings. In the tourist town of Puerto Escondido, residents and emergency personnel worked to drain flooded streets and clear debris left behind as the storm knocked over trees and street signs and buried boats under sand on the beach. Much of the town of about 30,000 people was left without electricity or cellphone coverage. The water 'had never hit with this magnitude' in Puerto Escondido, 44-year-old merchant Luis Alberto Gil, whose shop was among those flooded, told AFP. President Claudia Sheinbaum announced during her morning briefing that heavy rains are still expected in the southern states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, as well as Veracruz and Puebla. She thanked the population for following the authorities' recommendations 'very responsibly,' in a message shared on her social media. The president reported 15 road sections closed in the state of Oaxaca, as well as more than 123,000 users affected by power outages. Mexico sees major storms every year, usually between May and November, on both its Pacific and Caribbean coasts. In October 2023, Acapulco, a major port and beach resort in Guerrero, was pummeled by Hurricane Otis, a powerful Category 5 storm that killed dozens of people. Hurricane John, another Category 3 storm that hit in September last year, caused about 15 deaths. Sheinbaum had urged people to avoid going out and advised those living in low-lying areas or near rivers to move to shelters — some 2,000 of which had been set up in Chiapas, Guerrero and Oaxaca in anticipation. 'Since (Erick) just made landfall, we are in contact with the Defense (department) and the Navy, who are in the area, and we will be able to inform in a few hours what the effects are on these populations,' she said at her daily press conference Thursday morning. Restaurants remained shuttered in Puerto Escondido even though some tourists insisted on staying and riding out the storm. Around 250 miles (400 kilometers) north along the Pacific coast, Acapulco — a major port and resort city famous for its nightlife — was largely deserted Thursday as residents heeded calls to hunker down, with shops boarded up and tourist boats grounded. Many had stocked up the day before on food, water and gasoline.
Arab News
18 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan issues pre-monsoon rain alert from today, warns of urban flooding and damage risks
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast pre-monsoon rains across various parts of the country from today, Friday, warning of possible urban flooding and infrastructure damage in several regions. The alert comes as Pakistan braces for another season of extreme weather, following deadly heatwaves and catastrophic floods in recent years. Ranked among the ten most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, Pakistan is ramping up preparedness efforts, especially in Punjab, where authorities expect significantly above-average rainfall this monsoon. 'Pre-monsoon rains are predicted in the country from June 20-23 with occasional gaps,' the PMD said in its advisory issued on Thursday. 'Moist currents from Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea are penetrating upper and central parts of the country and a westerly wave is also likely to approach upper parts on June 20.' The department said dust storms, rain with wind and thundershowers, including isolated heavy rainfall and hailstorms, were expected in parts of Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and numerous districts of Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Affected areas include Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, Chitral, Abbottabad and Waziristan among others. Similar conditions were also forecast for Sukkur, Larkana, Dadu, and Jacobabad in Sindh province from June 22 to 24. PMD cautioned that such weather could damage loose infrastructure such as electric poles, trees, vehicles and solar panels, particularly in upper and central regions including Islamabad. It added that intense heat was expected to ease gradually over the forecast period, advising farmers to plan agricultural activities accordingly. PMD also warned urban flooding could occur in Lahore, Gujranwala and the Islamabad-Rawalpindi region. Authorities have urged the public, travelers and tourists to exercise caution. ABOVE-NORMAL RAINFALL Meanwhile, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Punjab said on Thursday the province was likely to experience 25 percent more rainfall this monsoon season, with northeastern districts expected to receive 40 percent to 60 percent above-normal rainfall. 'This projection necessitates proactive and coordinated efforts to mitigate risks associated with urban and riverine flooding,' the authority said, adding that all necessary arrangements had been completed to respond to any emergencies. The provincial government has begun distributing pamphlets to raise public awareness about the dangers of floods, heavy rains and strong winds. Pakistan experienced devastating floods in 2022 that left more than 1,700 people dead and displaced over 33 million across the country. Experts described the disaster as a consequence of climate change, after floodwaters destroyed homes, farmland, and public infrastructure, causing financial losses exceeding $35 billion.
