Mexico: Hurricane Erick lands in Oaxaca, threatens flash floods

Hurricane Erick made landfall Thursday morning on Mexico’s Pacific Coast as a powerful Category 3 storm, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The storm came ashore in the western state of Oaxaca, delivering sustained winds of 125 mph and heavy rainfall. The NHC reported that Erick was located about 20 miles east of Punta Maldonado, moving northwest at roughly 9 mph.

Before landfall, Erick had strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale but weakened slightly to a Category 3 as it approached the coast, the agency said.

The NHC noted that Erick is the first Pacific Category 3 hurricane on record to make landfall in Mexico during June.

A hurricane warning remained in effect Thursday for coastal areas stretching from Acapulco to Puerto Angel.

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It was not immediately clear if communities along the impacted coastline had suffered major damage. There were no initial reports of injuries or deaths.

According to the NHC, Erick appeared to hit the region between the resort cities of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido, near the Oaxaca-Guerrero state border.

The storm is expected to sweep across Oaxaca through Thursday, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall before weakening over land by Friday.

Forecasters warned that Erick could dump 6 to 8 inches of rain across southeastern Guerrero and the western coast of Oaxaca, potentially causing life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, particularly in mountainous areas.

Erick originated as a tropical storm early Tuesday in the Pacific Ocean off southern Mexico. It rapidly intensified, reaching hurricane strength by Wednesday, the NHC said.

(ABC News)

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