Latest news with #Category3
CNN
an hour ago
- Climate
- CNN
Video: Erick makes landfall as Category 3 hurricane in Mexico
Hurricane Erick slammed into Mexico's Oaxaca state as a dangerous Category 3 storm Thursday morning, unleashing powerful winds along the coast and spreading heavy rain over the region.
CNN
2 hours ago
- Climate
- CNN
Video: Erick makes landfall as Category 3 hurricane in Mexico
Hurricane Erick slammed into Mexico's Oaxaca state as a dangerous Category 3 storm Thursday morning, unleashing powerful winds along the coast and spreading heavy rain over the region.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Erick makes landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, the strongest to hit Mexico so early in the year
Hurricane Erick slammed into Mexico's Oaxaca state as a dangerous Category 3 storm Thursday morning, unleashing powerful winds at the coast while spreading heavy rain over the region. The hurricane made landfall about 20 miles east of Punta Maldonado, Mexico, just after 6 a.m. CDT Thursday, according to NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Winds of 125 mph were roaring around its center at landfall. The storm came ashore about 100 miles east of Acapulco, the city devastated by Hurricane Otis in October 2023. Erick is the first major hurricane – Category 3 or greater – on record to hit Mexico before July. The hurricane maxed out as a ferocious Category 4 storm with 145 mph winds just off the coast in the earliest hours of Thursday morning. It underwent extreme rapid intensification from Tuesday night into Wednesday night, strengthening from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in just 24 hours. Rapid intensification is becoming more frequent in a world warming due to fossil fuel pollution. Erick is deteriorating quickly as it tracks through Mexico's steep mountains and should dissipate by early Friday. It was already a Category 1 hurricane a few hours after landfall. Despite that, it will drop a troubling amount of rain in a short period that could cause dangerous flooding. The East Pacific hurricane season has been very busy since it began in mid-May. Erick is already the fifth named storm of the season – storms are named when they reach at least tropical storm-strength – and the second hurricane. The basin doesn't typically have its second hurricane until mid-July, according to NOAA. The Atlantic hurricane season is also underway, but has yet to churn out its first named storm and there's little prospect for it in the next few days. Heavy rain and wind was impacting the coasts of Guerrero and Oaxaca, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday morning, adding damage reports are still pending. She urged residents to remain at home and follow authorities' instructions. On Wednesday night, Sheinbaum said all activities in the region in Erick's path were suspended, the Associated Press reported. Acapulco's port closed Tuesday evening. Guerrero state Gov. Evelyn Salgado said all movement in Acapulco and other beach communities was to be suspended at 8 p.m. Wednesday in a post on X, and schools across the state were to remain closed through Thursday. Salgado said 582 shelters were set to receive people who might evacuate their homes across Guerrero. Laura Velázquez, Mexico's national civil defense coordinator, said Erick was forecast to bring 'torrential' rains to Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas states, according to the AP. The mountainous region along the southern coast is especially prone to mudslides with numerous rivers at risk of flooding. Nearly 16 inches of rain could fall through the end of the week in some portions of Guerrero's mountainous terrain, according to the NHC. This could trigger life-threatening flooding or mudslides. Up to 8 inches of rain is possible in the same timeframe for coastal areas of Oaxaca and Guerrero. Acapulco could record up to 6 inches of rain from Erick, but is not facing the hurricane's most powerful winds. Tropical storm-force gusts up to 45 mph are possible in the area Thursday. In Acapulco on Wednesday, there was a strong presence of National Guard and police in the streets, but most visible were trucks from the national power company, the AP reported. Crews worked to clear drainage canals and brush. The memory of Hurricane Otis haunted some residents as they prepared for Erick. Otis underwent some of the most extreme rapid intensification on record and strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane just before landfall. Carlos Ozuna Romero, 51, lost his restaurant at the edge of an Acapulco beach when Otis slammed the resort with devastating winds, he told the AP. On Wednesday, he directed workers storing tables and chairs. 'Authorities' warnings fill us with fear and obviously make us remember everything we've already been through,' Ozuna Romero said in reference to Otis. CNN Meteorologist Monica Garrett contributed to this report.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Hurricane Erick slams Mexico's Pacific Coast as a powerful Cat 3 storm
Hurricane Erick, which rapidly intensified overnight, made landfall Thursday morning on Mexico's Pacific Coast as a powerful Category 3 storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Erick came ashore in Mexico's western state of Oaxaca packing sustained winds of 125 mph and heavy rain, according to the NHC. The hurricane was located on Thursday morning about 20 miles east of Punta Maldonado and was moving northwest at about 9 mph, according to the NHC. Before making landfall, the Erick had spooled up to an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, but was downgraded to a Category 3 before making landfall, the NHC center reported. Erick is the first Pacific Category 3 hurricane on record to make landfall over Mexico in June. A hurricane warning remained in effect Thursday from Acapulco to Puerto Angel. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said the hurricane made landfall between 5 a.m. and a.m. local time in Pinotepa Nacional in the state of Oaxaca. She said prior to making landfall, Erick's heavy rain and strong wind caused damage mainly to the coast of Oaxaca and in the Costa Chica of Guerrero, an area along the south coast of the state of Guerrero. Laura Velázquez, coordinator of the Mexico's National Disaster Agency, said there are 14 municipalities affected by rain and winds. "We have a hospital where water has entered in Huatulco, a river overflow in Ciudad Ixtepec, nine road landslides, stranded vehicles, fallen trees and poles," Velázquez said. There have been no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. MORE: From severe storms to sizzling heat, Midwest and Northeast in store for whiplash weather change The major hurricane appeared to hit he coastline between the resort towns of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido in an area near the border of Oaxaca and Guerrero states, according to the NHC. As it sweeps across the state of Oaxaca, Erick is expected to slam parts of the region with strong winds and heavy rain for most of Thursday before weakening over land by Friday. MORE: Video How the outlook for hurricane season could be impacted by climate change Erick will produce heavy rainfall up to 6 to 8 inches across southeastern Guerrero and west-coastal Oaxaca through Friday and likely trigger life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides -- especially in areas of steep terrain. Erick formed as a tropical storm early Tuesday in the Pacific Ocean near southern Mexico and rapidly intensified, reaching hurricane strength by Wednesday, according to the NHC.
CBC
a day ago
- Climate
- CBC
Erick makes landfall in southern Mexico as Category 3 hurricane
Powerful Hurricane Erick made landfall in Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca early Thursday, the National Hurricane Centre in Miami said. The hurricane's centre was located about 30 kilometres east of Punta Maldonado. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at 205 km/h. It was moving northwest at 15 km/h, the hurricane centre said. The storm was downgraded slightly before making landfall, from a powerful Category 4 to a Category 3. While slightly reduced in power, Erick is still considered a major hurricane as a Category 3, which can carry winds of up to 210 km/h. 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 is expected to rapidly weaken as it crashes into the coastal mountains of southern Mexico, and the system is likely to dissipate late Thursday or early Friday, the hurricane centre said. The storm threatened to unleash destructive winds, flash floods and a dangerous storm surge, forecasters said. Storm moves south on approach At first light Thursday, Acapulco awoke under ominous dark clouds, but without a drop of rain and small waves lapping at its central beach. However, the storm was forecast to move 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. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a video message Wednesday night that all activities in the region were suspended and she urged people to stay in their homes or to move to shelters if they lived in low-lying areas. Waves were crashing onto the esplanade in Puerto Escondido by nightfall, swamping wooden fishing boats that had been pulled up there for safety. The beach disappeared under pounding waves and the rising tide had already reached the interiors of some waterfront restaurants. 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 one 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. Guerrero state Gov. Evelyn Salgado said via X that all movement in Acapulco and other beach communities was to be suspended at 8 p.m. local time Wednesday. Schools across the state were to remain closed for a second day Thursday. WATCH | Aftermath of 2023 Hurricane Otis in Acapulco: See the aftermath of Hurricane Otis in Acapulco 2 years ago Duration 0:43 Carlos Ozuna Romero, 51, lost his restaurant at the edge of an Acapulco beach when Otis slammed the resort with devastating winds. On Wednesday, he directed workers storing tables and chairs. "Authorities' warnings fill us with fear and obviously make us remember everything we've already been through," Ozuna Romero said in reference to Otis. Elsewhere, workers nailed sheets of plywood over shop windows and stacked sandbags outside doorways. Cars lined up to fill their tanks and shoppers made last-minute purchases before rushing home. Verónica Gómez struggled through the streets of Acapulco with a large jug of water. "We're all afraid because we think the same thing could happen," said the 40-year-old employee of a shipping company. But she said she and others learned a lot from Otis. "Now it's not going to catch us by surprise," she said, holding out a bag of canned food as evidence. In Acapulco on Wednesday, 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. Rain could be Erick's legacy Laura Velázquez, Mexico's national civil defence co-ordinator, said Erick was forecast to bring "torrential" rains to Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas in southern Mexico. The mountainous region along the coast is especially prone to mudslides with numerous rivers at risk of flooding.
