John, a “zombie” hurricane, regains strength in the Pacific near Mexico: Where it is and where it’s headed

(CNN) – Cities along Mexico’s southwest coast have been battered by rain, flooding and landslides after Tropical Storm John strengthened. A category 1 hurricane Thursday, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

John is considered a “zombie” storm, which refers to systems that dissipate before re-strengthening into a storm. After making landfall in Mexico on Monday night as a deadly Category 3 hurricane, it lashed Mexico’s Pacific coast before reinstating itself as a hurricane. Even after the initial thaw, the remnants of the storm moved along the coast and continued to produce rain.

In the resort town of Acapulco, which has not yet fully recovered from the devastation of last year’s Hurricane Otis, several neighborhoods were flooded and residents in at-risk areas were told to evacuate to temporary shelters. Some parts of the city have received 500 mm of rain this week and 431 mm of rain in the last 24 hours.

A video posted on social media shows a taxi being swept away by floodwaters. The car eventually stopped and officers took the passengers to safety.

Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado Pineda said emergency workers with boats and boats were dispatched to the city to rescue those trapped by the rising waters.

Authorities suspended operations at the Acapulco airport and schools across the state were ordered to close until further notice.

In rural towns around Acapulco, residents reported temporary power outages due to the rain. Some markets are closed, preventing people from buying essential goods due to the storm.

“I’m sure it won’t last long because there won’t be enough food,” one resident told CNN.

Hurricane John is expected to bring “very heavy to abnormal” amounts of rain, strong winds and high tides to the southwestern part of the country, Mexico’s National Water Commission said in a statement Thursday.

In the municipality of Benito Juárez in Guerrero, a river began to overflow part of its banks, with water levels reaching the height of a bridge above it. Local residents fear that parts of San Geronimo will be flooded. Officials have urged people to avoid going near the riverbank and the bridge.

Hurricane John was centered about 120 km west of Guerrero, Zihuatanejo at noon ET Thursday, with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h.

The storm is expected to drop between 254 mm and 508 mm of rain in Guerrero and Michoacán states and up to 125 mm in Colima and western Oaxaca through Friday.

Models agree that persistent weakness will begin on Friday, and the system will turn into a Friday night depressionAccording to the National Hurricane Center.