Hurricane Otis tracker: Mexico braces for ‘potentially catastrophic’ category 5 storm

<p>This satellite image provided by NOAA on Tuesday, 24 October 2023, shows Hurricane Otis approaching Mexico’s Pacific coast near Acapulco. - Otis is forecast to make landfall early Wednesday and there is a hurricane warning in effect from Punta Maldonado to Zihuatanejo</p> — This satellite image provided by NOAA on Tuesday, 24 October 2023, shows Hurricane Otis approaching Mexico’s Pacific coast near Acapulco. – Otis is forecast to make landfall early Wednesday and there is a hurricane warning in effect from Punta Maldonado to Zihuatanejo

(NOAA via AP)

Hurricane Otis is expected to reach Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 5 hurricane, bringing winds exceeding 160 mph in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The Weather Channel reported that the hurricane could become the most powerful ever to hit Acapulco on Mexico’s Pacific coastline, affecting at least one million people.

Otis’ wind speeds have surged by 110 mph since late Monday, propelling the hurricane into the rare category of a near-landfall Category 5 storm.

The National Hurricane Center said on Tuesday evening that “a nightmare scenario is unfolding for southern Mexico this evening with rapidly intensifying Otis approaching the coastline”.

“This is an extremely serious situation for the Acapulco metropolitan area with the core of the destructive hurricane likely to come near or over that large city early on Wednesday. There are no hurricanes on record even close to this intensity for this part of Mexico.”

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Mexico braces for ‘potentially catastrophic’ Hurricane Otis

Otis is expected to bring eight to 16 inches of rainfall to Guerrero and parts of Oaxaca through Friday, the Weather Channel said. “Locally higher amounts of up to 20 inches of rain are possible,” the forecast reads.

Flooding and mudslides in areas of higher terrain are possible.

Residents have been warned that the storm surge will make surfing conditions hazardous along the coastline, particularly in the vicinity of and to the east of the hurricane’s landfall point.

Otis’ wind speeds have surged by 110 mph since late Monday, propelling the hurricane into the rare category of a near-landfall Category 5 storm.

Maroosha Muzaffar25 October 2023 06:55

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Hurricane Otis is now a Category 5 storm

Hurricane Otis escalated into a dangerous Category 5 storm by Tuesday evening and is expected to maintain its strength as it makes landfall in Mexico, posing a significant threat of flash floods and destructive mudslides.

The tropical cyclone’s wind intensity increased from a 50-mph tropical storm on Monday to a 165-mph Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday evening.

The Weather Channel reported that this hurricane is expected to become the most powerful one to hit Acapulco on Mexico’s Pacific coastline, affecting at least one million people.

Maroosha Muzaffar25 October 2023 06:49

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