YIKES: Acapulco, Mexico is expected to be hit by a Category 5 hurricane tonight

[catbyte]

Link to tweet

Colin McCarthy
@US_Stormwatch

In a shocking turn of events, Hurricane #Otis in the Eastern Pacific has unexpectedly, explosively intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in just 12 hours.

Even worse, the storm is expected to make a catastrophic landfall tonight as a Category 5 hurricane near Acapulco, Mexico, home to 1 million people.

Only 18 hours ago, people were expecting a tropical storm at landfall, and now a devastating Category 5 storm is likely.

This is pretty much a worst-case scenario, as residents have little time to find a safe shelter and protect life and property from this life-threatening storm.

A major hurricane (Category 3+) has never made landfall within 50 miles of Acapulco, let alone a Category 5 hurricane.

Otis could become the first Eastern Pacific hurricane ever recorded to make landfall as a Category 5 in Mexico.

Anyone in or near Acapulco should rush storm preparations to completion as there is little time left to shelter from #Otis.

------------------------------------------------------

[highplainsdem]

1. The National Hurricane Center is calling #Otis a "nightmare scenario."

Link to tweet

[excerpt
Michael Lowry
@MichaelRLowry
The National Hurricane Center is calling #Otis a "nightmare scenario."

"This is an extremely serious situation for the Acapulco metropolitan area...There are
no hurricanes on record even close to this intensity for this part
of Mexico."

Heavy words tonight from
@EricBlake12

[2naSalit]

2. That popped up rather quickly.

I hope there isn't too much damage.

[calimary]

3. First thing that popped into my mind was "east coast bias".

When I was still working (and based in L.A. ) that annoyed me A LOT. Oh, somebody in the newsroom suddenly noticed there’s a Cat 5 hurricane closing in on the WEST coast??? Gee… Whooda thunkit?

[Judi Lynn]

4. In adddition to all the people, fauna and flora, are also the astoundingly ancient Mayan and pre-Mayan structures

which managed to make it to the 21st century.

Nothing anywhere in the Yucatan should be damaged, not anywhere.

What horrible news.

Thanks for the alert, catbyte. This news had shot straight past me. Didn't even know. Appreciate your thoughtfulness.