Hurricane Otis makes landfall near Acapulco as Category 5 storm: Live updates

Hurricane Otis made landfall near Acapulco, Mexico, early Wednesday as a Category 5 storm.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Otis’ centre struck the Mexican coast at approximately 12.25am local time, carrying sustained winds of 165mph.

Hurricane Otis has been weakened to a Category 4 storm, the National Hurricane Center said.

It was previously graded as a Category 5 storm, with authorities warning of “extremely destructive winds “ and “catastrophic damage” as Otis made landfall in Acapulco.

The hurricane is now expected to continue to weaken quickly in Guerrero state’s steep mountains.

Otis was about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north northwest of Acapulco with its maximum sustained winds decreasing to 130 mph (215 kph) and moving at 10 mph (17 kph). The center of Otis is expected to move farther inland over southern Mexico through Wednesday night.

The National Hurricane Center has warned of flooding and landslides as Hurricane Otis makes landfall in Mexico’s Acapulco.

Otis is expected to being heavy rainfall to Guerrero, with five to 10 inches of rain forecast, raising the threat of landslides and floods.

“Damaging hurricane-force winds are spreading inland along with heavy rainfall. This rainfall will produce flash and urban flooding along with mudslides in higher terrain,” the hurricane center said.

Hurricane Otis winds appeared to blow through a hospital in Acapulco, Mexico after allegedly breaking an eighth-floor window, footage shared by local media shows.

The Category 5 storm made landfall near the beach resort on Wednesday 25 October with maximum sustained winds estimated to be 165mph.

This clip, shared by Mexican media, appears to show patients on hospital beds in a corridor as winds blast through the building.

No hurricanes on record are “even close to this intensity” for Acapulco, the National Hurricane Center said

Starting 23 October and lasting into the next day, six tropical cyclones spun simultaneously around the globe.

The strongest storm of the six is Tropical Cyclone Lola, which grew to a Category 5 late Monday. Tropical Cyclone Tej has brought flooding to Yemen from the Arabian Sea and Tropical Cyclone Hamoon has hit Bangladesh from the Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Otis is headed for Mexico’s west coast, Hurricane Tammy is headed for Bermuda, and Tropical Depression 21 is raining down on Nicaragua and Honduras.

Hurricane Otis is an “extremely serious situation”, the national hurricane center warned on Tuesday.

The hurricane made landfall in Mexico’s Acapulco at 12.25am local time as a category 5 storm.

The national hurricane center said there are “no hurricanes on record” that come close to the intensity of Hurricane Otis for Acapulco .

“This is an extremely serious situation for the Acapulco metropolitan area with the core of the destructive hurricane likely to come near or over that large city early on Wednesday. There are no hurricanes on record even close to this intensity for this part of Mexico,” the center said.

Before Otis, there had not been a Category 5 landfall for the East Pacific, according to the NOAA Hurricane Database.

Hurricane Otis is set to be “more devastating” than 1997’s Hurricane Pauline that killed over 200 people, according to the Acapulco governor.

The hurricane made landfall in Mexico’s Acapulco at 12.25am local time as a category 5 storm.

The city’s governor has now warned it could be “more devastating” than Hurricane Pauline, which hit the city in 1997.

“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.

Hurricane Pauline destroyed swaths of the city and killed more than 200 people, governor López added. Hundreds of others were injured in flooding and mudslides.

Mexico’s Acapulco is on “maximum alert” as Hurricane Otis makes landfall in the city.

Hurricane Otis made landfall in Acapulco overnight as a category 5 storm.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Otis’ centre struck the Mexican coast at approximately 12.25am local time, carrying sustained winds of 165mph.

“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.

The hurricane is expected to bring165 mph (170 kmh) winds and heavy rain to Acapulco and surrounding towns, stirring memories of a 1997 storm that killed dozens of people.

Hurricane Otis – which made landfall early Wednesday — poses a significant threat to Mexico’s coastline that is adorned with fishing villages and beach resorts as they prepare for their peak winter season.

Along its projected path lies Acapulco, a bustling port city and a beloved tourist destination which is home to a population of over 850,000 people, said the Mexican government.

Forecasters have warned that a storm surge accompanying Hurricane Otis is expected to result in “life-threatening coastal flooding”.

This flooding is expected to occur in areas situated near and to the east of the storm’s centre where it makes landfall.