Category 5 Hurricane Slams Southern Mexico

Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico's southern Pacific coast as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane early Wednesday, bringing dangerous winds and heavy rain to Acapulco and surrounding towns, stirring memories of a deadly storm in 1997. Now a Category 4 storm, the hurricane was expected to continue to weaken quickly in Guerrero state's steep mountains, per the AP. But the five to 10 inches of rain forecast, with as much as 15 inches possible in some areas, raised the threat of landslides and floods. Otis was about 25 miles north northwest of Acapulco with its maximum sustained winds decreasing to 130mph and moving at 10mph. The center of Otis is expected to move farther inland over southern Mexico through Wednesday night.

Otis had strengthened rapidly, going from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in 12 hours Tuesday. Residents of Guerrero's coast scrambled to prepare, but the storm's sudden intensity appeared to catch many off guard. "We're on maximum alert," Acapulco Mayor Abelina López said Tuesday night as she urged residents to hunker down at home or move to the city's shelters. Acapulco is a city of more than 1 million people at the foot of steep mountains. Luxury homes and slums alike cover the city's hillsides with views of the glistening Pacific. Between the internationally known resorts of Acapulco and Zihuatanejo are two dozen small towns and villages perched between the mountains and the ocean.

Otis is stronger than Hurricane Pauline that hit Acapulco in 1997, López said. Pauline destroyed swaths of the city and killed more than 200 people. Hundreds of others were injured in flooding and mudslides. Otis' arrival came just days after Hurricane Norma struck the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula to the north. In the Atlantic, Hurricane Tammy continued moving northeastward over open water with winds of 85mph after sweeping through the Lesser Antilles over the weekend. Tammy was located about 570 miles south-southeast of Bermuda. The storm was expected to become a powerful extratropical cyclone by Thursday, according to the US National Hurricane Center. (More hurricane stories.)