Hurricane Rick made landfall in Guerrero as a Category 2 hurricane Monday morning, bringing strong wind and heavy rain to that state and Michoacán.
Rick reached land at approximately 5:00 a.m. in La Unión de Isidoro Montes de Oca, a municipality that borders Zihuatanejo to the north and Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, to the south.
The National Meteorological Service said the hurricane, which has since been degraded to a tropical storm, brought sustained winds of 165 kph with gusts of up to 205.
The hurricane caused flooding and toppled scores of trees in both Guerrero and Michoacán. Some homes were flooded while wind ripped the roofs off others. Strong swells were reported on Mexico’s southwest coast.
There have been no reports of injuries or loss of life since the hurricane made landfall, but scores of families took refuge in government shelters. Cars were stranded in floodwaters in Zihuatanejo and Acapulco.
The Petatlán River overflowed, shutting down the Acapulco-Zihuatanejo highway Monday morning at Petatlán.Debido al paso del huracán #Rick por #Guerrero se produjo un corte sobre la carretera Acapulco-Zihuatanejo, a la altura de Petatlan, por lo que no hay paso hacia ese puerto. Se desbordó el Río Petatlan, inundando varias colonias de la cabecera municipal. pic.twitter.com/jW9WfsMdcA
— ProtecciónCivil-Gro. (@PC_Guerrero) October 25, 2021
The Guerrero Civil Protection service reported landslides on at least six roads, and the Acapulco-Zihuatanejo highway was cut off by floodwaters in the municipality of Petatlán. Authorities warned that several rivers and creeks in Guerrero and Michoacán were at risk of overflowing.
Blackouts were reported in the Costa Chica and Costa Grande regions of Guerrero as well as in Acapulco. Schools were closed in several municipalities in both Guerrero and Michoacán due to the dangers posed by the passing of the storm.
The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Rick was about 170 kilometers north of Lázaro Cárdenas at 1:00 p.m. Central Time and that maximum sustained winds were 95 kph. It said the storm was expected to produce five to 10 inches (12-25 cm) of rain with isolated amounts of up to 20 inches (51 cm) across sections of Guerrero and Michoacán.
“A generally northward motion is expected over the next 12 to 24 hours. On the forecast track, the center of Rick will move farther inland over Mexico today and tonight,” the NHC said.
“… Continued weakening is expected this afternoon and evening, and Rick is forecast to dissipate over the mountainous terrain of Mexico tonight,” it said.
