Otis has grown suddenly and has gone through categories 1, 2, 3 and 4 in less than 12 hours.
“This afternoon, Otis increased its wind speed and is now a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The possibility of the system reaching Category 5 in the coming hours cannot be ruled out,” the SMN noted in its latest report. recent report recent report.
In addition, it was specified that it was 130 kilometers (km) west-southwest of Punta Maldonado at 6:00 PM (00:00 GMT on Wednesday), and 135 km southeast of Acapulco, both in Guerrero.
The phenomenon presents maximum sustained winds of 230 km/h, wind gusts up to 280 km/h It is moving towards the northwest at a speed of 13 km/h.
Earlier, Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) predicted that Hurricane Otis will make landfall in the early hours of Wednesday near Acapulco, one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.
“The hurricane is expected to occur as a Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds of 210 to 250 kilometers per hour (km/h) between the municipalities of Tecpan de Galeana and Acapulco on Wednesday between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. (10 a.m. and 12 p.m. GMT),” SMN coordinator Alejandra Méndez Girón said at a press conference.
He added that the dangerous quadrant of the system will gradually affect the municipalities of Acapulco. Coyuca de Benítez, Benito Juárez, Atoyac de Álvarez, Tecpan de Galeana, San Marcos, Florencio Villareal, Petatlán and Zihuatanejo.
Hurricane Otis quickly grew to Category 3 just a few hours after passing through Categories 1 and 2 on Tuesday.
Méndez Girón indicated that the system’s broad circulation ‘will produce intense to intermittent downpours in Guerrero; and very strong to intense rain in Oaxaca, increasing the chance of spells of showers with intermittent heavy rain in Michoacán. State of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla and Mexico City”.
“Such rainfall could lead to reduced visibility, landslides, flooding or floods, as well as a rise in water levels in rivers and streams,” he warned.
In addition, Mexican authorities predict wind gusts of 150 to 180 km/h and waves of 6 to 8 meters high on the coasts of Guerrero and Oaxaca.
Due to these conditions, the head of the SMN said that a hurricane prevention zone is maintained from Punta Maldonado to Zihuatanejo, in the state of Guerrero, as well as a hurricane watch zone from Lagunas de Chacahua, in Oaxaca and to Punta Maldonado, in Guerrero.
The head of the Mexican Meteorological Service warned that Otis will remain on the ground for 48 hours, in Guerrero, and called on the general population in the above-mentioned states to take extreme precautions due to rain, wind and waves (including maritime navigation) and comply with the recommendations of the civil protection authorities in each state.
Source: El heraldo
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
