What to Expect as Hurricane Erick Makes Landfall on Mexico’s Pacific Coast

Hurricane Erick touched earth on the Pacific Coast of Mexico Thursday morning, bringing the possibility of “deadly floods and muds’ flows” in the western state of Oaxaca, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The hurricane was demoted from a category 4 to a category 3 storm when it landed, with maximum sustained winds almost 125 mi / h. The center of the hurricane is expected to move inside the land in southern Mexico throughout the day, and should produce 8 to 12 inch precipitation in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero. The NHS warned against possible fatal floods and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain. A potentially fatal storm wave should also cause coastal floods near and east of the place where the center crosses the coast.

A hurricane warning is in place between Acapulco and Puerto Angel, a region still marked by the Hurricane Otis, a category 5 ruller devastating which led to the stop near Acapulco in October 2023, killing 52. The west of Acapulco in Tecpan de Galeana is under an Ouragan watch, which means that the hurricane conditions are possible. The hurricane should weaken quickly on the Mexico mountains, the entire system dissipating Thursday evening or early Friday.

Erick is the first major hurricane of the year. June marks the official start of the hurricanes season, which generally continues until the end of November. In the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a season of the hurricanes “greater than normal”.

The storm system caused a concern after having dubbed strength in a single day. The phenomenon of rapid intensification, defined as an increase in maximum winds of at least 35 MPH in a period of 24 hours, has been linked to climate change and makes more difficult for forecastists to predict the impact of a storm. Last season of hurricanes, the NHC has documented 34 episodes of rapid intensification, which is doubled the average of the last 10 years.