United States: As twilight edged over Wednesday afternoon, Hurricane Erick erupted into a formidable Category 2 cyclone, spinning wrathfully toward Mexico’s southern shoreline. Authorities issued sharp cautions, signaling the storm’s swift climb into a potentially calamitous major hurricane — one that could crush coastal settlements under a barrage of ruinous gusts, cascading floods, and unstable earthslides.
By early dusk, Erick’s heart was pulsating with winds clocking 100 mph (155 kph), according to meteorological scouts at the US National Hurricane Center in Miami. The storm’s path twisted ominously closer, foretelling a landfall by Thursday.
The tempest’s eye brooded just 105 miles (165 kilometers) shy of Puerto Ángel and loomed roughly 215 miles (345 kilometers) southeast of Punta Maldonado, drifting through the eastern Pacific basin. The center’s latest communique painted a grim picture: Erick was poised to lash the Pacific coast with thundering rainfall, abrasive gusts, and a feral storm surge, according to reports by AP News.
Rainfall could swell to a staggering 20 inches (50 centimeters) across Oaxaca and Guerrero, with a trailing wash expected in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco. The saturated soil, coupled with the rugged topography, raises a grave alarm for landslides and water torrents.
Forecast models predicted Erick would punch into major hurricane class — Category 3 or above — by late Wednesday night or early Thursday as it loomed near the littoral zone. That means wind speeds could soon vault past 111 mph (180 kph), unlocking the next level of destructive power.
Earlier that same day, Erick still wore the veil of a Category 1 storm, sweeping northwest at 8 mph (13 kph), brandishing winds up to 85 mph (140 kph). But the transformation was rapid and fierce.
The looming trajectory of this maritime menace casts a haunting shadow over Acapulco, still scarred by the fury of Hurricane Otis in October 2023. That storm—an unbridled Category 5 beast—struck with little forewarning, catching locals unguarded. Otis annihilated nearly every major hotel and claimed at least 52 lives, with 32 still unaccounted for.
Farther south in Puerto Escondido, fishermen wasted no time — dragging vessels ashore as a fine drizzle soaked the coastline. At Zicatela beach, crimson flags fluttered in warning. Still, the siren call of the surf proved too tempting for a few wave-chasers who defied the swelling threat.
Mexico’s national civil defense coordinator, Laura Velázquez, declared Erick’s rains would be “torrential” in Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas — three states heavily webbed with mountains and rivers ripe for overflow. These geographic features dangerously amplify the storm’s lethal potential.
To brace for impact, battalions of federal troops were deployed to strategic zones. Guerrero’s Governor, Evelyn Salgado, shut down all schools and broadcast alerts to the maritime and tourism sectors. Acapulco’s bustling port had already been closed as of Tuesday evening. Salgado affirmed that 582 shelters had been outfitted to house evacuees in need of refuge.
The bitter memory of Hurricane Otis lingers, and one of the sharpest critiques was the sluggish alert system. Boats sank. Lives were lost. The storm’s arrival had outpaced its warning, as per AP News.
Determined not to repeat that failure, President Claudia Sheinbaum stood at her daily press briefing on Wednesday and urged residents to obey official guidance, stay put, and seek harbor either at home or in designated shelters.
The hurricane warning stretched from Puerto Ángel to Acapulco — signaling that cyclonic conditions were not just possible, but imminent. The alert underscored an urgent message: all protective measures must be finalized without delay to safeguard lives and prevent material annihilation.
