Tropical Storm John was downgraded to a tropical depression off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday (27), but still caused severe flooding and mudslides in affected cities after four days of heavy rain and strong winds.
On Monday night (23), John hit the southwest coast of Mexico as a powerful category 3 hurricane. The heavy rains and winds left five people dead and toppled dozens of trees and poles.
After weakening, it continued to move towards the Pacific Ocean, where it strengthened again on Wednesday (25) to resume its path towards land, albeit a little further northwest.
Its slow progress has damaged cities such as Acapulco, the iconic tourist city devastated last year by powerful Hurricane Otis, which suffered four days of rain.
In the state of Guerrero, where Acapulco is located, Storm John left 950 millimeters of rain, while Category 5 Hurricane Otis caused 350 millimeters, said Alejandra Mendez, coordinator of the National Weather Service (SMN).
Local media reported the disappearance of at least eight people in Guerrero, one of the country’s poorest states.
At 3 p.m. local time, the cyclone was located 100 kilometers from the port city of Manzanillo in the state of Colima, and its maximum sustained winds had been reduced to 55 kilometers per hour, almost half the intensity recorded in the morning, according to data from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
John was moving slowly north at 7 km/h, and is expected to dissipate by the weekend.
This content was originally published in Storm John weakens, but leaves areas of Mexico flooded on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
