Two people have been killed after Hurricane John made landfall on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, unleashing destructive winds, mudslides, and heavy rains. The storm, which quickly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane on Monday, caused widespread damage before weakening to a tropical storm on Tuesday.
The hurricane made landfall near Punta Maldonado, about 80 miles east of Acapulco, with winds reaching 120 mph (190 kph). It then weakened as it moved inland, dropping to sustained wind speeds of 40 mph (65 kph). Despite losing strength, the storm left a trail of destruction, with officials warning of further flooding and mudslides.
Devastation in Guerrero State
Evelyn Salgado, governor of Guerrero state, confirmed that two people died in a mudslide triggered by the hurricane in the remote mountain village of Tlacoachistlahuaca. Salgado urged residents to seek higher ground as the region faced continued rainfall and the threat of additional flash floods.
Meanwhile, Marquelia, a coastal town close to where John made landfall, saw extensive damage. Tin roofs were ripped off homes, power was knocked out, and highways were blocked by fallen trees. Despite the destruction, no deaths or injuries were reported in the town, largely due to the mayor’s early warnings.
“There are a lot of houses, mainly the ones with sheet roofing, where the force of the air blew off the roofing,” said Marquelia Mayor Lincer Casiano Clemente. “We’ve never seen such strong gusts.”
A Slow-Moving Storm
By Tuesday morning, John was located 70 miles northwest of Acapulco and was moving slowly at 12 mph. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that the storm’s pace, combined with heavy rains, could cause catastrophic flooding in states like Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero. The center also noted that the storm might drift back toward the Pacific but would continue weakening.
Experts have pointed to warmer ocean temperatures as a contributing factor in the storm’s rapid intensification. “These are storms that we haven’t really experienced before,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Benz. “Rapid intensification has occurred more frequently in modern times.”
Comparisons to Hurricane Otis
The devastation from Hurricane John comes just a year after the region was hit by Hurricane Otis, another rapidly intensifying storm that caused widespread destruction in Acapulco. Otis left the city without power for days, scattered bodies along the coast, and plunged residents into a desperate search for food and water. The government’s slow response to that disaster drew harsh criticism.
In response to the lessons learned from Otis, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reassured citizens that the government was actively addressing the current crisis. “Seek higher ground, protect yourselves and do not forget that life is the most important thing; material things can be replaced,” López Obrador wrote on social media.
President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged to improve Mexico’s early alert system for storms, similar to the country’s earthquake warnings, to prevent such tragedies from happening again.
As the Pacific coast of Mexico reels from Hurricane John, the threat of further flooding looms large. The damage caused by the storm serves as a reminder of the growing frequency of rapidly intensifying hurricanes, linked to warmer ocean waters. With two lives already lost, officials are working to prevent further casualties and damage as the storm weakens and moves inland.
