Hurricane John hits Mexico’s Pacific coast

Hurricane John I reached land A hurricane battered western Mexico late Monday after rapidly strengthening into a Category 3 storm, bringing heavy rains and the risk of flooding and landslides to the country’s Pacific coast.

The storm’s effects stretched Monday from the central coast of Oaxaca state to Acapulco, a tourist city in neighboring Guerrero state that was devastated last October when Hurricane Otis defied forecasts and quickly transformed from a tropical storm into a Category 5 hurricane.

Key things to know about the storm.

• The storm was quickly intensifying. Hurricane John strengthened from a tropical storm to a Category 3 hurricane on Monday, with winds of about 120 mph as it made landfall. A portion of Mexico’s coast is currently under a hurricane warning, meaning hurricane conditions are expected within 12 to 24 hours, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

• Residents should prepare for heavy rain. Forecasters are also predicting 6 to 12 inches of rain through Thursday, with up to 30 inches in isolated areas along the coast. Heavy rains could cause flash flooding and catastrophic mudslides in Oaxaca, as well as the Mexican states of Chiapas and Guerrero. Other areas could see up to 12 inches of rain through Thursday, creating life-threatening flooding, especially near the coast.

On Monday, as waves began to rise on the shores of Puerto Escondido, a popular tourist town in Oaxaca state, Carlos Jorge Ponce and other tour guides went out to bring dozens of boats to shore.

“We’ve been through this before, and all that’s left is waiting for the storm to pass,” said Mr. Ponce, 47. “There’s a little bit of tension.”

Continued heavy rains in June have already caused some landslides, slowing down traffic on the recently opened highway.

The country’s electricity authority said it had deployed nearly 1,400 electricians to the area, along with cranes and emergency power stations, to prevent and repair any power outages.

Civil protection authorities have begun coordinating the opening of shelters in about 50 municipalities throughout the state of Oaxaca.

“Although John’s trajectory has changed, it is still unstable, and we must continue to monitor the phenomenon,” said Esteban Vázquez Hernández, civil protection coordinator in the region.

A recent study shows that rapid intensification like John’s is now twice as likely, at least for Atlantic hurricanes, due in part to human-caused climate change from burning fossil fuels. Earlier this year, Hurricane Beryl broke records when it became the first hurricane ever to reach Category 4 and then Category 5 strength in the Atlantic basin, with winds increasing by 35 mph or more in a 24-hour period.

John is likely to bring destructive hurricane-force winds and dangerous storm surges, or unusually high sea levels and high waves that could cause flooding.

Hurricanes also release higher levels of rainfall as global temperatures rise.

The rainfall forecast could be devastating, said Carrie Stevenson, a University of Florida faculty member who works with communities to prepare for hurricanes.

“The rain will be very heavy, and flash flooding could be the most dangerous part of this,” Ms Stevenson said.

She also expressed concern that if the storm is strong enough it could cross Mexico and emerge in the Gulf of Mexico, near where a storm currently known as Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine is expected to move north this week.

“I would definitely watch it because it’s not on anyone’s radar in the Gulf of Mexico,” Ms. Stevenson said.