Hurricane Otis causes heavy rains, flash floods in Mexico

Security forces stand guard on a beach. Pic/Twitter

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 1997 storm that killed dozens of people.

Now a Category 4 storm, the hurricane was expected to continue to weaken quickly in Guerrero state's steep mountains. 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 215 kmph and moving at 17 kmph. The center of Otis is expected to move farther inland over southern Mexico through Wednesday night.

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.

1997
Year Hurricane Pauline lashed Acapulco

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