Erick

June 19 (UPI) — Hurricane Erick made landfall in southern Mexico with powerful winds Thursday morning, but has been downgraded to a tropical storm and is expected to dissipate during the overnight hours.

The National Hurricane Center on Thursday afternoon reported Erick had moved over the Mexican state of Guerrero along the country’s Pacific coast, about 35 miles north-northeast of Acapulco.

A tropical storm warning is in effect from Punta Maldonado to Tecpan de Galeana, with sustained winds of around 50 mph and flooding rains.

The storm system is moving northwesterly at about 12 mph, according to the NHC.

“This general motion is expected to continue through tonight,” NHC forecasters said. “The center of Erick is forecast to move over southern and southwestern Mexico until it dissipates tonight.”

Tropical-storm-force winds will extend up to 45 miles outward from the eye of the storm for a few more hours before dissipating.

Erick is expected to drop 6 to 8 more inches of rain across Guerrero and Oaxaca, but totals could reach as high as 16 inches.

The storm could also produce dangerous flooding and mudslides, particularly in steeper areas.

Up to 6 inches of rain may also fall across the states of Colima, Jalisco and Michoacan.

The storm surge is considered likely to produce coastal flooding along portions of southern Mexico, but is expected to gradually subside through the night.

Swells generated by the tropical storm will continue to affect coastal areas along southern Mexico.

“These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” NHC forecasters said.

Erick neared landfall along the western coast of Mexico as a Category 4 hurricane earlier Thursday, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. It had first become a hurricane on Wednesday morning.

Erick is the fifth named storm in the Pacific this year. No storms have formed in the Atlantic yet.

The Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 to Nov. 30, while the Atlantic season is from June 1 to Nov. 30.

The United States National Hurricane Center has warned of the risk of ‘life-threatening flooding and mudslides’.

Hurricane Erick has become an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm, hours before it is expected to pummel Mexico’s Pacific coastline, the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) has said.

In its latest bulletin, the meteorological centre said Erick could grow even more powerful before making landfall in the eastern part of Guerrero state and the western part of Oaxaca state on Thursday morning.

The major storm, which is travelling to the northwest at a rate of 15km/h (nine mph), will unleash destructive winds, flash floods and a dangerous storm surge, forecasters have predicted.

As it neared Mexico, the NHC reported that the hurricane’s maximum sustained winds had increased to about 230km/h (145mph), putting it within the Category 4 wind speed range of 209-251km/h (130-156mph).

The NHC warned that Erick could unleash up to 16 inches (40cm) of rain on Oaxaca and Guerrero, bringing the risk of “life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain”.

The Mexican states of Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco could also be hit by up to 6 inches of rainfall, the Miami-based centre added.

Late on Wednesday, Erick’s projected path was revised, as it is headed closer to the resort city of Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca. A hurricane warning is in place for the entire coastal area between Acapulco and Puerto Angel.

Mexican authorities have scrambled to prepare residents and tourists ahead of Erick’s arrival. In a video message on Wednesday night, President Claudia Sheinbaum urged people to stay at home or move to shelters if they were in low-lying areas.

Some 2,000 temporary shelters have been set up in the states of Chiapas, Guerrero and Oaxaca to house those who have to leave their homes.

Meanwhile, Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado said that schools in her state would stay closed, and that fishing and tourism operators had been told to make their boats storm ready.

Residents in the Guerrero resort of Acapulco were among those steeling themselves for Erick’s landfall.

The city of almost one million people was devastated in October 2023 by Hurricane Otis, which killed at least 52 people and destroyed many homes and businesses.

Carlos Ozuna Romero, 51, lost his restaurant at the edge of an Acapulco beach in the 2023 hurricane. On Wednesday, he oversaw workers as they stored tables and chairs in preparation for the new storm.

“Authorities’ warnings fill us with fear and obviously make us remember everything we’ve already been through,” he said.

Elsewhere in the city, Veronica Gomez, a 40-year-old shipping company worker, suggested the city was much better prepared this time. “Now it’s not going to catch us by surprise,” she said.

Erick is likely to rapidly weaken as it reaches the mountains, and it is predicted to dissipate on Thursday night or early Friday, according to the NHC.

Hurricane Erick has strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm, as it heads towards Mexico’s Pacific coast, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says.

Maximum sustained winds in the storm had risen to 230km/h (145mph) late on Wednesday local time, with some additional strengthening possible.

Forecasters expect it to make landfall later on Thursday with the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero state most likely to be impacted by what the NHC says could be “devastating wind damage”.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told people in the storm’s path to “stay tuned to official communications, to stay indoors, and not go out”.

A hurricane warning is in effect for a 500km-strech (300 miles) of Pacific coast, from the resort town of Acapulco to Puerto Ángel.

Residents in Guerrero and Oaxaca have been warned of life-threatening floods and swells.

“If you are in low-lying areas, near rivers, near waterways, it is best for you to go to shelters, to the shelters that have already been set up for this situation,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said.

People living in mountainous areas have been told to beware of possible mudslides.

Around 2,000 shelters have been set up across the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca and more than 18,000 first responders have been mobilised to prepare for the hurricane.

It is expected to be the first to make landfall in Mexico this season, which runs from the start of June to the end of November.

In October 2023, at least 50 people were killed during Hurricane Otis, a category 5 hurricane that battered Acapulco.

Otis intensified rapidly, meaning many people were unprepared when the hurricane made landfall.

June 18 (UPI) — Tropical Storm Erick is forecast to become a major hurricane in the Pacific Ocean and strike western Mexico one day after becoming named storm, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday.

In its 3 p.m. CST advisory, the NHC said Erick had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph as a Category 2 storm, just 1 mph from becoming a major storm as a Category 3. Erick was about 85 miles south of Puerto Angel, Mexico, and about 185 miles southeast of Punta Maldonado, Mexico.

The storm, which was moving 9 mph northwest, became a hurricane Wednesday morning.

Erick is forecast to be a major hurricane when it reaches the coast of western Oaxaca or eastern Guerrero on Wednesday morning or early Thursday, NHC said.

“Erick has been rapidly strengthening for the past 12 hours, and given the extremely favorable atmospheric and oceanic conditions along Erick’s forecast track, further intensification in the short term appears very likely,” NHC forecaster Alex Hagen wrote in a discussion.

Devastating wind damage is possible as the core of the storm moves onshore, Hagen said.

Erick will produce heavy rainfall across portions of Central America and Southwest Mexico through this week with life-threatening flooding and mudslides likely, especially in steep terrain.

“A dangerous, life-threatening storm surge is expected to produce coastal flooding near and to the east of where the center crosses the coast, in areas of onshore winds,” Hagen said. “The surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.”

Acapulco to Puerto Angel is under a hurricane warning, while a hurricane watch has been issued for the area west of Acapulco to Tecpan de Galeana.

The region between Puerto Angel to Salina Cruz and West of Acapulco to Tecpan de Galeana is under a tropical storm warning.

Erick will produce 8 to 16 inches of rain across the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, the NHC said.

Erick is the fifth named storm in the Pacific this year. No storms have formed in the Atlantic yet.

The hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

Erick is expected to rapidly intensify and reach major hurricane strength as it approaches Mexico’s coast.

Hurricane Erick is forecast to bring heavy rain, strong winds, storm surge and possible mudslides to southern coastal Mexico, the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) has said, causing potential “life-threatening flooding and mudslides.”

Initially a tropical storm, Erick grew into a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday, packing maximum sustained winds of 120km/h (75 mph), the meteorological centre said. It was located 255km (158 miles) from the town of Puerto Angel in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.

“Rapid strengthening is expected today, and Erick may reach major hurricane strength when it approaches the coast of southern Mexico Thursday,” the NHC said.

Forecasts predicted rainfall across the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, as well as less heavy rains for the states of Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged the population to be alert.

The storm’s projected path would take its centre near the renowned resort of Acapulco, which was devastated in October 2023 by Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 hurricane that killed at least 52 people, and left a trail of destruction, after the storm severely damaged almost all of the resort’s hotels.

John, a Category 3 storm that hit in September last year, caused about 15 deaths.

The UK government has issued a new travel warning against all travel to parts of Mexico as Tropical Storm Erick has taken shape off the southern coast of the country

A fresh UK government travel warning has been issued for parts of Mexico due to Tropical Storm Erick which is forecast to develop into a hurricane by the afternoon of June 18th.

Erick is currently south-east of Punta Maldonado in Mexico and is expected to intensify into a hurricane with forecasters warning it could make landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast.

Heavy rain is forecast to affect Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and southern Veracruz, and a hurricane watch has been issued for the Pacific coast.

Forecasters said Erick was moving west-north-east at 12 miles per hour and will move closer to Mexico’s coastline by late Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour being reported on Tuesday.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) warned Britons that their travel insurance could be rendered invalid if they fail to adhere to the advice issued.

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The FCDO’s website issued the following warning:

“Tropical Storm Erick is expected to make landfall on the pacific coast on 17 June with heavy rains affecting Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas and the south of Veracruz.

“It is expected to gain strength and become a Category 2 hurricane by the afternoon of 18 June affecting an area along the southern pacific coast from Puerto Angel in Oaxaca to Punta Maldonado in Guerrero.”

The FCDO has warned: “You should closely monitor local and international weather updates from the US National Hurricane Center and follow the advice of local authorities and your tour operator, including any evacuation orders.”, reports the Express.

“See the tropical cyclones page for advice about how to prepare for travel during hurricane season and what to do ahead of a storm.

“In the aftermath of a hurricane, there can be flooding, high winds and continued rainfall.”

A previous warning states:

“The hurricane season in Mexico normally runs from June to November and can affect the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Tropical storms and hurricanes cause floods, landslides and disruption to local services, including transport networks.

“After a hurricane there can still be continued flooding, high winds and rainfall. Monitor local and international weather updates from the US National Hurricane Center and follow the advice of local authorities and your tour operator, including evacuation orders.”