By Smartencylopedia News Staff with Agencies
Marquelia, Mexico – Hurricane John, a powerful Category 3 storm, made landfall on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast on Monday, bringing fierce winds and heavy rainfall to the region. The storm slammed ashore near Marquelia, in Guerrero state, with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour (195 kilometers per hour), according to the U.S.-based National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“Damaging hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge, and flash flooding are ongoing,” the NHC warned. The storm is expected to move slowly, delivering extremely heavy rainfall to the coastal regions of southwest Mexico, particularly in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero, throughout the upcoming week.
“This heavy rainfall will likely cause significant and potentially catastrophic, life-threatening flash flooding,” the NHC added. A hurricane warning remains in effect from east of Acapulco to Bahías de Huatulco along the Pacific coast.
Government Urges Caution
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took to social media, urging residents in the affected areas to seek shelter and prioritize safety. “Seek higher ground, protect yourselves, and do not forget that the most important thing is life; material things are replaceable,” he posted on the platform X (formerly Twitter).
Mexico’s National Civil Protection agency issued a red alert, advising people to remain indoors and stay away from windows. Temporary shelters were being set up across Guerrero, with authorities preparing around 300 shelters in case of emergency. In Oaxaca, schools were closed, beaches were shut down, and machinery was mobilized to clear roads if needed. The Puerto Escondido international airport also suspended all flights due to the storm.
A History of Destruction
Hurricanes frequently batter Mexico’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts between May and November each year. The memories of last October’s Hurricane Otis—a devastating Category 5 storm that caught authorities off guard and left a trail of destruction and numerous fatalities in Acapulco—remain fresh in the minds of residents and officials alike.
As Hurricane John moves inland, it is expected to weaken over the mountainous terrain of southern Mexico, but authorities continue to stress the danger of flash flooding and landslides.
For now, residents are hunkering down, bracing for the storm’s impacts, and hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s deadly disaster.