(Mexico) The Hurricane John made landfall in southwestern Mexico on Monday as a Category 3 hurricane on a scale of 5 with winds of up to 120 mph (195 km/h), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
John made landfall near Marquelia in Guerrero state on the Pacific coast, the NHC said Monday.
“After making landfall, the system will weaken rapidly over the high ground of southern Mexico,” the US agency said.
The national civil protection agency has issued a red alert, asking people in affected areas to stay indoors and away from windows.
“Protect yourself and remember that the most important thing is life; material goods are replaceable,” President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wrote on the social network X.
The phenomenon is expected to cause heavy rainfall in the state of Guerrero, which was hit on October 25, 2023 by the category 5 hurricane. Otiswhich devastated the seaside resort of Acapulco, leaving more than 40 dead and around 50 missing.
Previously classified in category 2, John as expected strengthened to Category 3 shortly before making landfall.
Across the country, the Caribbean resorts of Cancun and Tulum are likely to be hit by a tropical storm on Tuesday, according to the NHC.