Hurricane Erick made landfall in southern Mexico on Thursday, June 19, as a Category 3 storm. Forecasters warned the storm’s heavy rainfall and strong winds could bring “life-threatening storm surge.”
The storm rapidly intensified from a 40 mph tropical storm on Tuesday, June 17, into a Category 4 by Thursday morning. Just six hours later, Erick made landfall on the western end of the Oaxaca state as a Category 3 with 125 mph winds, as reported by the National Hurricane Center.
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A history-making hurricane
According to meteorologist Jonathan Erdman, Erick is the earliest Eastern Pacific major Hurricane ever documented to make landfall in Mexico before the month of August. That milestone is based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration records dating back to the 1950s. Before Erick, the earliest major hurricane to make landfall in western Mexico from the Pacific region was Hurricane Kiko in August 1989.
Erick is the second hurricane of the season, which comes nearly four weeks ahead of when a second hurricane typically forms for the season. The hurricane season usually sees its fifth storm form by July 23, according to averages based on data from 1991-2020.
Warnings in southern Mexico
Hurricane warnings were in effect for parts of Mexico’s Guerrero and Oaxaca states. Forecasters expect Erick to weaken significantly and dissipate by late Thursday or early Friday, June 20.
Experts warn Erick could bring more than a foot of rain in some areas and warn of potentially “life-threatening flooding” and mudslides in mountainous areas.
Sheinbaum’s guidance
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The Pacific hurricane season begins on May 15 and goes until Nov. 30, with August being the most active month.
On Wednesday, June 18, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the suspension of all activities from Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca to Acapulco. She warned people to remain indoors or head toward shelters if they lived in areas prone to flooding. Sheinbaum said those in the storm’s path should wait out the hurricane in shelters or their homes until threats from the storm pass.
Guerrero Gov. Evelyn Salgado announced all schools would remain closed and urged all fishing and tourism businesses to ensure their boats were storm-ready. More than 580 shelters were ready for people who needed to evacuate their homes, according to Salgado.
According to the BBC, authorities have set up approximately 2,000 shelters across Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca, and deployed more than 18,000 emergency personnel to respond to storm-related emergencies.
Memories of Otis
Erick’s landfall comes nearly two years after Hurricane Otis killed dozens of people as it hit Acapulco as a Category 5 in October 2023. Otis’ rapid intensification caught many people off guard when the storm made landfall.
Some of the same businesses destroyed by Otis lie in Erick’s path, and many residents began boarding up windows and closing shops earlier this week in preparation.
