Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane early Wednesday, bringing dangerous winds and heavy rain to Acapulco and surrounding towns, stirring memories of a 1997 storm that killed dozens of people.
A strong Category 2 storm by Wednesday morning, the hurricane was expected to continue to weaken quickly in Guerrero state’s steep mountains. As dawn broke, authorities had given no preliminary damage assessments as much of the area remained without power. Downed trees, persistent rain and flooding made it difficult to move.
The 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rain forecast, with as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) possible in some areas, raised the threat of landslides and floods.
Otis was about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north-northwest of Acapulco with its maximum sustained winds decreasing to 110 mph (175 kph) and moving at 10 mph (17 kph). The center of Otis is expected to move farther inland over southern Mexico through Wednesday night.
A long convoy of trucks from the national electric company moved through the Guerrero state capital Chilpancingo before dawn Wednesday toward Acapulco.
Otis had strengthened rapidly, going from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in 12 hours Tuesday. Residents of Guerrero’s coast scrambled to prepare, but the storm’s sudden intensity appeared to catch many off guard.