Hurricane Erick is expected to make landfall in Mexico during the early morning hours on Thursday, though some impacts from the life-threatening storm could arrive sooner, according to a forecast by the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
When reached for comment, the NHC directed Newsweek to the most recent forecasts for the storm.
Why It Matters
The Eastern Pacific hurricane season began on May 15 and has seen an active start. Tropical Storm Alvin kicked off the season in late May, followed by Hurricane Barbara, Tropical Storm Cosme and Tropical Storm Dalila in June.
Now, the fifth storm, Hurricane Erick, is strengthening off the southwestern coast of Mexico and is expected to be the first storm to make landfall.
National Hurricane Center
What To Know
As of the most recent data from the NHC, Erick is a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 85 mph. The storm is expected to rapidly strengthen and become a Category 3 major hurricane by the time it makes landfall.
“Erick rapidly intensifying and forecast to become a major hurricane,” a public advisory from the NHC said on Wednesday morning. “Expected to bring damaging winds and life-threatening flash floods to portions of southern Mexico late tonight and Thursday.”
The NHC anticipates tropical storm-force winds will reach Southern Mexico by Wednesday evening. The winds will progress in a northwest direction and will continue impacting Mexico through Thursday.
Heavy rainfall also poses a risk with this storm, with some parts of coastal Oaxaca and Guerrera expecting as much as 20 inches of rain. Rain is set to begin on Wednesday night, AccuWeather reported, and also will move in a northwest direction with the storm. Rain will likely continue through the end of the week.
The storm looks to make landfall Thursday morning. It will then trek northwest across Mexico throughout Thursday as it weakens back to tropical storm strength by Thursday night.
In addition to dangerous winds and rainfall amounts, the storm will also cause life-threatening rip currents along the coast.
What People Are Saying
AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva, in a report: “We expect Erick to drift northwestward and close in on the southwestern coast of Mexico. Erick will rapidly strengthen for a time as it approaches the coast. Erick may track very close to Acapulco with the full impacts you would expect from a…
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