Southern Mexico’s Pacific coast was braced for a Thursday (June 19, 2025) morning impression with the method of Hurricane Erick, which was upgraded to an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 early Thursday (June 19, 2025), the U.S. National Hurricane Centre mentioned.
The main storm threatens to unleash harmful winds close to the place the attention crashes ashore, flash floods and a harmful storm surge, forecasters mentioned.
The Miami-based centre reported Erick was about 110 kilometres west-southwest of Puerto Angel, Mexico, and about 145 kilometres southeast of Punta Maldonado, Mexico.
The storm had most sustained winds of 230 kph and was transferring northwest at 15 kph.
A hurricane is outlined as Category 4 when wind speeds attain 209-251 kph.
Late Wednesday (June 18, 2025), Erick’s projected path crept south, nearer to the resort metropolis of Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca state, and centred on a sparsely populated stretch of shoreline between the Oaxacan resort and Acapulco to the northwest.
President Claudia Sheinbaum mentioned in a video message Wednesday (June 18, 2025) evening that each one actions within the area have been suspended and she or he urged individuals to remain of their houses or to maneuver to shelters in the event that they lived in low-lying areas.
Waves have been crashing onto the esplanade in Puerto Escondido by dusk, swamping picket fishing boats that had been pulled up there for security. The seashore disappeared beneath pounding waves and the rising tide had already reached the interiors of some waterfront eating places.
Last-minute purchases ended at dusk as shops closed and the streets emptied.
People line as much as purchase groceries and meals at a retailer as Hurricane Erick strengthens in Chilpancingo, Guerrero State, on June 18, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
Earlier within the day, fishermen in Puerto Escondido pulled their boats out of the water forward of the storm’s arrival. Some surfers continued to journey waves on the Zicatela seashore, even with pink flags as much as warn individuals to remain out of the water.
The storm’s course shift may very well be welcome reduction for residents of storm-battered Acapulco.
The metropolis of almost 1 million was devastated in October 2023 by Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 hurricane that quickly intensified and caught many unprepared. At least 52 individuals died in Otis and the storm severely broken virtually all the resort’s resorts.
People transfer a ship to security as Hurricane Erick strengthens off Mexico’s Pacific Coast, in Acapulco, Guerrero state, on June 18, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
Acapulco nonetheless ‘scarred’ by Otis
Acapulco residents mentioned they have been bracing for Erick’s arrival with extra preparation and trepidation due to the reminiscence of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Otis two years earlier.
Guerrero state Gov. Evelyn Salgado mentioned by way of X that each one motion in Acapulco and different seashore communities was to be suspended at 8 p.m. Schools throughout the state have been to stay closed for a second day Thursday (June 19, 2025).
Carlos Ozuna Romero, 51, misplaced his restaurant on the fringe of an Acapulco seashore when Otis slammed the resort with devastating winds. On Wednesday, he directed employees storing tables and chairs.
“Authorities’ warnings fill us with fear and obviously make us remember everything we’ve already been through,” Ozuna Romero mentioned in reference to Otis.
Elsewhere, employees nailed sheets of plywood over store home windows and stacked sandbags exterior doorways. Cars lined as much as fill their tanks and buyers made last-minute purchases earlier than speeding residence.
Verónica Gómez struggled by way of the streets of Acapulco with a big jug of water. “We’re all afraid because we think the same thing could happen,” mentioned the 40-year-old worker of a transport firm.
But she mentioned she and others discovered so much from Otis. “Now it isn’t going to catch us abruptly,” she said, holding out a bag of canned food as evidence.
Also read: 2024’s record ocean heat revved up Atlantic hurricane wind speeds: study
In Acapulco on Wednesday (June 18, 2025), there was a strong presence of National Guard and police in the streets, but most visible were trucks from the national power company. Crews worked to clear drainage canals and brush.
Rain could be Erick’s legacy
Forecasters said Erick was expected to lash Mexico’s Pacific coast with heavy rain, strong winds and a fierce storm surge. Rains of up to 16 inches (40 centimetres) could fall across the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, with lesser totals in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states, the centre’s advisory said.
The rainfall threatened flooding and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain.
A hurricane warning was in effect from Acapulco to Puerto Ángel. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected in the area, and preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion, according to the hurricane centre advisory.
Laura Velázquez, Mexico’s national civil defence coordinator, said Erick was forecast to bring “torrential” rains to Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas in southern Mexico. The mountainous region along the coast is especially prone to mudslides, with numerous rivers at risk of flooding.
Guerrero Gov. Evelyn Salgado said all schools would remain closed and the state had alerted all of the fishing and tourism operators to make their boats storm-ready. Acapulco’s port closed Tuesday evening. Salgado said 582 shelters were set to receive people who might evacuate their homes.
Sheinbaum warned in her daily briefing that those in the hurricane’s path should heed government instructions and wait out the storm in their homes or designated shelters.
Erick quickly doubled in strength
Having doubled in strength in less than a day, Erick was churning through an ideal environment for quick intensification. Last year, there were 34 incidents of rapid intensification — when a storm gains at least 35 mph in 24 hours — which is about twice as many as average and causes problems with forecasting, according to the hurricane centre.
Published – June 19, 2025 12:23 pm IST