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Hurricane Otis made landfall close to Acapulco in Mexico early on Wednesday, after suddenly forming and strengthening off the coast.
Otis strengthened from a tropical storm into a major hurricane before it slammed into Mexico’s coast at around 12.25am local time with sustained winds of 165 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
It was originally classed as a Category 5 hurricane, but has since been downgraded to Category 2.
The hurricane is now about 100 miles northwest of Acapulco and is expected to continue to weaken quickly as it heads inland through Guerrero state’s steep mountains, before it dissipates on Wednesday night.
The Mexican government has discontinued the Hurricane Warning west of Acapulco, and changed the Hurricane Warning from Acapulco to Punta Maldonado to a Tropical Storm Warning.
Acapulco Mayor Abelina López earlier warned that the city – which is home to roughly 800,000 people – was on “maximum alert” as she urged residents to hunker down at home or move to the city’s shelters.
Meanwhile, the Hurricane Center warned that Otis is an “extremely serious situation” for the Acapulco metropolitan area, where it could cause “catastrophic damage”.
“This is an extremely serious situation for the Acapulco metropolitan area with the core of the destructive hurricane likely to come near or over that large city early on Wednesday,” the agency said late on Tuesday.
“There are no hurricanes on record even close to this intensity for this part of Mexico.”
National Hurricane Center map of Hurricane Otis
(National Hurricane Center)
Winds have already blasted through a hospital in Acapulco, while schools and the port – where some 300 fishing boats sit – have also been closed by authorities.
Hundreds of thousands of people were also left without electricity across the city.
Heavy rain from Otis will continue to impact areas of southwest Mexico across the Guerrero and Oaxaca, and may also cause “life-threatening coastal flooding” through Thursday, the Hurricane Center said.
Hurricane Otis approaching Mexico's Pacific coast near Acapulco
Mayor López said Otis may be “more devastating” than Hurricane Pauline, which hit Acapulco in 1997, killing more than 200 people and injuring hundreds of others
Mexico’s army and navy deployed more than 8,000 troops to Guerrero, an impoverished state plagued by violence linked to organized crime, with specialised equipment to aid in rescues.
The Hurricane Center warned of “extremely destructive winds near the core” of Otis, with winds extending up to 30 miles from its centre.
