Erick makes landfall in southern Mexico as Category 3 hurricane

The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 19, 2025 1:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Powerful Hurricane Erick made landfall successful Mexico's confederate authorities of Oaxaca aboriginal Thursday, the National Hurricane Centre successful Miami said.

The hurricane's centre was located astir 30 kilometres east of Punta Maldonado. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked astatine 205 km/h. It was moving northwest astatine 15 km/h, the hurricane centre said.

The tempest was downgraded somewhat earlier making landfall, from a almighty Category 4 to a Category 3. While somewhat reduced successful power, Erick is inactive considered a large hurricane arsenic a Category 3, which tin transportation winds of up to 210 km/h. 

The tempest threaded the needle betwixt the resorts of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido, tearing into a sparsely populated agelong of coastline adjacent the borderline of Oaxaca and Guerrero states. Agricultural fields broad the low-lying coastal country betwixt tiny sportfishing villages. 

Erick is expected to rapidly weaken arsenic it crashes into the coastal mountains of confederate Mexico, and the strategy is apt to dissipate precocious Thursday oregon aboriginal Friday, the hurricane centre said.

The tempest threatened to unleash destructive winds, flash floods and a unsafe tempest surge, forecasters said. 

Storm moves southbound connected approach 

At archetypal airy Thursday, Acapulco awoke nether ominous acheronian clouds, but without a driblet of rainfall and tiny waves lapping astatine its cardinal beach.

However, the tempest was forecast to determination northwest conscionable inland up the seashore done midday, bringing dense rainfall to the edifice and the mountains that operation dramatically supra it. 

Still, it appeared Acapulco had dodged the worst astatine slightest successful presumption of Erick's beardown winds. 

Late Wednesday, Erick's projected way had crept south, person to the edifice metropolis of Puerto Escondido successful Oaxaca state, with Acapulco up the seashore to the northwest. 

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said successful a video connection Wednesday nighttime that each activities successful the portion were suspended and she urged radical to enactment successful their homes oregon to determination to shelters if they lived successful low-lying areas.

Waves were crashing onto the esplanade successful Puerto Escondido by nightfall, swamping woody sportfishing boats that had been pulled up determination for safety.

The formation disappeared nether pounding waves and the rising tide had already reached the interiors of immoderate waterfront restaurants.

Acapulco inactive scarred by Otis

Acapulco residents had braced for Erick's accomplishment with much mentation and trepidation due to the fact that of the representation of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Otis 2 years earlier.

The metropolis of astir 1 cardinal was devastated successful October 2023 by Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught galore unprepared. At slightest 52 radical died successful Otis and the tempest severely damaged astir each of the resort's hotels.

Guerrero authorities Gov. Evelyn Salgado said via X that each question successful Acapulco and different formation communities was to beryllium suspended astatine 8 p.m. section clip Wednesday. Schools crossed the authorities were to stay closed for a 2nd time Thursday.

WATCH | Aftermath of 2023 Hurricane Otis successful Acapulco: 

Carlos Ozuna Romero, 51, mislaid his edifice astatine the borderline of an Acapulco formation erstwhile Otis slammed the edifice with devastating winds. On Wednesday, helium directed workers storing tables and chairs.

"Authorities' warnings capable america with fearfulness and evidently marque america retrieve everything we've already been through," Ozuna Romero said successful notation to Otis.

Elsewhere, workers nailed sheets of plywood implicit store windows and stacked sandbags extracurricular doorways. Cars lined up to capable their tanks and shoppers made last-minute purchases earlier rushing home.

Verónica Gómez struggled done the streets of Acapulco with a ample jug of water.

"We're each acrophobic due to the fact that we deliberation the aforesaid happening could happen," said the 40-year-old worker of a shipping company.

But she said she and others learned a batch from Otis. "Now it's not going to drawback america by surprise," she said, holding retired a container of canned nutrient arsenic evidence.

In Acapulco connected Wednesday, determination was a beardown beingness of National Guard and constabulary successful the streets, but astir disposable were trucks from the nationalist powerfulness company. Crews worked to wide drainage canals and brush.

Rain could beryllium Erick's legacy

Laura Velázquez, Mexico's nationalist civilian defence co-ordinator, said Erick was forecast to bring "torrential" rains to Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas successful confederate Mexico. The mountainous portion on the seashore is particularly prone to mudslides with galore rivers astatine hazard of flooding.

Acapulco's larboard closed Tuesday evening. Salgado said 582 shelters were acceptable to person radical who mightiness evacuate their homes crossed Guerrero.