Hurricane John made landfall as a Category 3 storm in Punta Maldonado, Guerrero — located on the border with the state of Oaxaca — on Monday night, ripping tin roofs off houses, bringing down trees and triggering mudslides before weakening to a tropical storm early on Tuesday.
Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado confirmed that two people were killed in the municipality of Tlacoachistlahuaca when a mudslide swept away their home on Monday night. She urged the public to take precautions since heavy rains are expected to continue.
According to an advisory published on Tuesday at 9 a.m. CST, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned life-threatening flash flooding is possible across portions of southern and southwestern Mexico during the next few days as Tropical Storm John moves slowly to the northwest, noting “little motion is expected during the next few days.”
#Entérate I A pesar de que todavía se puede transitar en la súper carretera a la Costa de #Oaxaca hay zonas de riesgo y la inminente llegada a tierra del Huracán John propiciará aún más complicaciones.
Así luce esta tarde a la altura del kilómetro 48, si debe transitar por la… pic.twitter.com/n9qCwsMu26
— ororadio (@ororadio) September 24, 2024
AccuWeather meteorologists warned that the storm “can continue to bring life-threatening conditions and possible extreme damage around Acapulco due to torrential rain.”
While Acapulco — devastated by Category 5 Hurricane Otis last October — dodged John’s worst wind impacts, the storm will unload significant rainfall on the area. Acapulco may still face wind gusts of 40-60 mph before John loses more intensity.
The NHC forecast indicates Tropical Storm John could produce 150 to 300 milliliters of rain with isolated totals around 380 mm across the coastal areas of Chiapas to the south. Along the Oaxaca and Guerrero coasts, the NHC forecasts between 250 and 500 mm of rain with isolated totals near 750 mm through Thursday.
The governors of those three states have activated civil protection protocols while urging the public to stay alert for official advisories. According to the newspaper El Financiero, Guerrero has set up 300 shelters to attend to the 59,000 residents who live in coastal areas of the state.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador posted an alert on his X account on Monday night, telling the public to “seek higher ground, protect yourselves and do not forget that life is the most important thing; material things can be replaced. We are here.”
