Hurricane Erick weakens to Category 3, makes landfall in Mexico

Powerful Hurricane Erick made landfall in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca as a major hurricane before moving inland and weakening to a tropical storm as it dumped heavy rain, the National Hurricane Centre in Miami said.

The hurricane's centre was located about 60km north-northeast of Acapulco. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at 85km/h. It was moving northwest at 19km/h, the hurricane centre 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 weakened rapidly as it crashed 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 near where the eye crashes ashore, flash floods and a dangerous storm surge, forecasters said.

At first light on Thursday (local time), 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 (local time) 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 Thursday "the people have reacted very well so far".

National Civil Defence 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 40 centimetres could fall across the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, with lesser totals in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states, the centre's advisory said. The rainfall threatened flooding and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain.

Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado urged residents of her state to not grow complacent after Erick made landfall in neighbouring 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 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 (local time), 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, 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.

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 56km/h in 24 hours — which is about twice as many as average and causes problems with forecasting, according to the hurricane centre.