Historic Hurricane Otis makes landfall in Acapulco, Mexico, as category 5 storm
The cyclone gained unexpected strength in a matter of hours, and reached the coast of Mexico with sustained winds of 270 km/h. It is estimated to lose strength quickly.
The powerful Hurricane Otis, category 5, the maximum on the Saffir-Simpson scale, made landfall this Wednesday morning near the resort of Acapulco, in the Mexican Pacific coast, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Hurricane #Otis has just made landfall in Mexico as a major category 5 storm, with sustained winds of 165mph.
— Meteored | YourWeather (@MeteoredUK) October 25, 2023
Amazingly, this cyclone intensified from a tropical storm to a category 4 hurricane in just 12 hours, taking many by surprise.
️ https://t.co/jNNoq6dXSj pic.twitter.com/QgOVUnZBYt
The cyclone, with sustained winds of 270 km/h and potentially catastrophic strength, reached the coast around 00:25 local time, moving at a speed of 17 km/h, the NHC report detailed.
The official forecast indicated that the cyclone would "quickly lose strength" as it moved through the state of Guerrero, characterised by a mountainous geography, and could dissipate on the night of this Wednesday.
Un huracán que se formó en menos de 12 horas, y de tormenta tropical llegó a la máxima categoría 5; ningún modelo lo predijo, nunca habíamos tenido uno de esa categoría en la costa del Pacífico, lo llaman catastrofico
— Jorge Zorrilla AM (@JorgeZorrillaAM) October 25, 2023
Hace unos minutos ya #Otis en #Acapulco pic.twitter.com/MJlMQB8YUI
According to the AFP news site, prior to the arrival of the phenomenon, in Acapulco and other impact areas, preventive power cuts were made, so the port was plunged into darkness when Otis began to hit, accompanied by intense rain that flooded the coastal area.
Otis gained unexpected strength
The cyclone gained unexpected strength in a matter of hours, taking into account that just at noon on Tuesday it was still a tropical storm, taking authorities and residents of the affected states, especially Guerrero, by surprise.
#Acapulco #HuracanOtis 24:00 Hotel Mundo Imperial pic.twitter.com/dbePjwNimK
— Jorge Cirett (@JorgeCirett) October 25, 2023
"We anticipated that it was going to be category one when it hit land," said the head of Civil Protection of Guerrero, Roberto Arroyo, to Milenio TV, ensuring that the system in the face of natural crises has improved in recent decades.
In Acapulco, a city with about 780,000 inhabitants, many residents bought water and food at the last minute while businesses and homes protected their windows by covering them with wood or crossing them with adhesive tape in the shape of an X.
Terrible experiencia la de vivir un huracán categoría 5
— Geól. Sergio Almazán (@chematierra) October 25, 2023
Así las cosas en #Acapulco
IMPORTANTE #Huracan #Otis
Octubre 24/23:30h pic.twitter.com/ONnNwXLSHw
The port registers a hotel occupancy of 50%, said representatives of that sector, who have suggested that tourists stay in their hotels. The government enabled more than 500 shelters for residents living in risk areas.
Other historic hurricanes to have impacted Acapulco
On October 9, 1997, Acapulco was hit by Hurricane Paulina, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm, leaving more than 200 dead, making it one of the deadliest in Mexican history.
Reporta @AztecaNoticias que se comienzan a sentir los efectos de #Otis, #Huracán de categoría 5, en la Zona Diamante de #Acapulco.pic.twitter.com/XIUWqxNoQ3
— Webcams de México (@webcamsdemexico) October 25, 2023
In September 2013, Hurricane Manuel left a trail of damage and more than 120 deaths in four states on the Pacific coast, most of them in Guerrero.
Otis will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most intense that has affected the Mexican city. As the hours pass, the consequences produced will be taken into account.