Science

Two killed in Mexico as Hurricane John weakens to tropical storm

A woman transports a table from the southern Mexican coast ahead of Hurricane John.

Officials said Tuesday that Hurricane John struck Mexico’s southern Pacific coast overnight, killing at least two people. The cyclone has since weakened to a tropical storm and is expected to weaken further.

However, forecasters warned that heavy rain and flash flooding would inundate coastal areas over the next few days.

“Two people are reported dead after a landslide occurred at their home in the southern city of Tlacoachistlahuaca,” Evelyn Salgado, governor of Mexico’s Guerrero state, told a news conference.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned of heavy rainfall along the southwestern coast of Mexico this week.

“This heavy rainfall will likely cause severe, devastating and life-threatening floods and landslides in the southern states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero.”

Authorities had warned residents to evacuate as strong winds and rain battered the coast before Hurricane John made landfall near Malqueria in Guerrero state.

The 1200 GMT update said maximum sustained winds had exceeded 120 mph before weakening to about 50 mph (85 kph).

“Further rapid weakening is expected, and John is expected to become a tropical storm later today,” the NHC said.

John is expected to bring up to 15 inches of rain to parts of Chiapas by Thursday, and nearly twice that amount to the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, the agency said.

“Hurricane John is bringing unusually high rainfall (more than 250 mm) (9.8 inches) in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, with torrential rains in Chiapas,” the national civil protection agency said in a post on X early Tuesday.

The department issued a red alert on Monday, telling people to stay indoors and away from windows.

Cangrejo Beach is empty before Hurricane John makes landfall in Oaxaca, Mexico on September 23, 2024.

Cangrejo Beach is empty before Hurricane John reaches Oaxaca, Mexico on September 23, 2024.

“Things are replaceable”

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said at a morning press conference that John was “a violent phenomenon that brought heavy rains.”

He had previously urged people living along affected coastlines to prepare.

“Seek higher ground, protect yourself, and remember that most importantly, life is precious. Material things are replaceable,” he wrote to X.

Oaxaca state authorities said Monday they would open temporary evacuation centers, cancel schools, close beaches and mobilize machinery to clear snow from roads as needed.

Classes in schools in Guerrero state were also canceled on Tuesday, state education officials announced in a statement to Xinhua.

The international airport in the tourist town of Puerto Escondido has suspended all flights.

Guerrero state officials said about 300 temporary shelters were being prepared if needed.

Restaurant workers were seen carrying furniture off the beach and fishermen were seen returning to shore.

Hurricanes strike both Mexico’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts each year, usually between May and November.

Last October, Category 5 Hurricane Otis struck the coastal city of Acapulco in Guerrero state, leaving devastation and dozens of deaths.

Otis surprised authorities by rapidly intensifying from a tropical storm to the strongest category on the Saffir-Simpson five-point intensity scale within a matter of hours.

© 2024 AFP

Source: Hurricane John weakens to tropical storm, two dead in Mexico (September 24, 2024) Retrieved September 24, 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2024-09-mexico-hurricane-john-weakens-tropical.html

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