On Sunday, a hurricane formed off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast and rapidly gained power as it moved toward an expected strike along a stretch of tourist beaches and fishing villages.
The centre of Hurricane Agatha is expected to make landfall near Puerto Escondido and Puerto Angel on Monday, near the resorts of Huatulco, Mazunte and Zipolite in the southern state of Oaxaca.
The U.S. hurricane centre reported that the newly formed hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph) and was centred about 195 miles (315 kilometres) west-southwest of Puerto Angel. It was travelling at a speed of 2 mph (4 kph).
Hurricane warnings were in effect between the port of Salina Cruz and the Lagunas de Chacahua.
The civil defence office in Oaxaca said the outer bands of the hurricane had already hit the coast. Photos were published of fishermen hauling their boats up on beaches to protect them from the storm.
Mazunte’s Mexican Turtle Center, a former slaughterhouse turned conservation centre, has closed to visitors until further notice because of the hurricane.
In addition to coastal flooding and destructive waves near where Agatha makes landfall, the Hurricane Center warned of dangerous coastal flooding.
Oaxaca state is expected to receive 10 to 16 inches of rain – with isolated maximums of 20 inches (500 millimetres) – posing a threat of flash flooding and mudslides.
As the storm will travel over the narrow waist of Mexico’s isthmus, there is a chance that its remnants will reemerge over the Gulf of Mexico.