He Cyclone John, Category 3 Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, made landfall on Monday evening in the Mexican state of Guerreroin the south of the country, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported. “The center of Category 3 Hurricane John made landfall “just after midnight (local time)” south-southwest of Marquelia, Guerrero state, with winds of 195 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gusts of 220 km“, the SMN said.
In its latest report, the organization said the cyclone, the tenth of the Pacific season and the second to pass over Mexican territory, was located on land, 10 kilometers (km) east of Copala and 40 km northwest of Punta Maldonado, both in the state of Guerrero.
John’s blow reaches the state of Guerrro after in October 2023 the resort of Acapulco suffered the passage of Hurricane Otis, which was the most powerful cyclone of last season, which made landfall on October 25 as a Category 5 hurricane, with sustained winds of 260 km/h. hour, causing at least 51 deaths and 34 missing, and losses of approximately $3.2 billion. Tonight, upon entering the territory, John presented sustained winds of 195 km/h and gusts of 220 km/h and is now heading north.
The report noted that John’s wide distribution will generate extraordinary occasional rains (greater than 250 mm) in Oaxaca and Guerrero, and occasional torrential rains (150 to 250 mm) in Chiapas. In addition to occasional intense rains (75 to 150 mm) in Veracruz and Puebla; very heavy occasional rains (50 to 75 mm) in Tabasco; and warned that John’s cloud bands would increase the likelihood of heavy to very heavy rains in the center of the country, including the Valley of Mexico. He also predicted wind with gusts of 200 to 220 km/h and waves of 5 to 7 meters high in western Oaxaca and eastern Guerrero.
Due to these conditions, the SMN maintains a hurricane warning zone from east of Acapulco, Guerrero, to Bahías de Huatulco, Oaxaca, and a tropical storm warning zone from east of Bahías de Huatulco to Salina Cruz, Oaxaca. The Mexican Meteorological Service has asked the population to take extreme precautions, especially in maritime navigation, as well as to comply with the recommendations issued by the Civil Protection authorities.
He President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obradorwarned on Monday night that Hurricane John would make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in southern Mexico. “Attention to all residents of Costa Chica de Guerrero and Cuajinicuilapa in Huatulco: Hurricane John will make landfall in two hours as a Category 3,” the president said in a social media message he posted around 8 p.m. local time (0200 GMT Tuesday). “Look for the high ground, protect yourself and remember that the most important thing is life”; the equipment is replaced. We will wait,” he added.
In Guerrero, the head of Civil Protection, Laura Velázquez, and the governor of the state, Evelyn Salgado, as well as the military authorities declared their readiness for the deployment of the DN-III Plan, in the face of natural disasters with agents of the Army, Navy and National Guard in the municipalities of Cuajinicuilapa, Copala, Florencio Villarreal and Marquelia, in the region of Costa Chica, Guerrero, where 299 shelters have been opened for the population in danger.
In addition, this Monday, the authorities of the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero decided to suspend classes at all elementary levels due to the impact of John. Last week, storm Ileana hit the state of Sinaloa, in the northwest of the country, where it caused minor damage, while three hurricanes hit Mexico from the Atlantic: Hurricane Beryl and Storm Chris, which caused losses in July, and Storm Alberto in June, when it caused six deaths in Nuevo León, a state located on Mexico’s northern border.
Mexican authorities were predicting up to 41 named hurricanes in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in May, with at least five hitting the country.
