Mexican Pacific coastline facing Category 2 hurricane

The first hurricane of the eastern Pacific season is a Category 2 on course for the Mexican coastline, appearing to aim for a slew of small fishing towns and tourist beaches.

Amidst torrential downpours and storm surge warnings, Agatha reportedly gained strength and is expected to make landfall as a powerful Category 2 or even a Category 3, Monday afternoon or evening, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported.

The storm could “bring an extremely dangerous storm surge and life-threatening winds,” the agency said, adding that by early Monday morning, the hurricane had already reached winds of 110 mph, only 1 mph under the speed required for a Category 3 storm, the agency reported.

The hurricane tracking agency also reported that the storm was traveling toward Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido in the southern state of Oaxaca, which includes the popular tourist areas of Mazunte, Huatulco, and Zipolite while storm warnings remain in effect between Lagunas de Chacahua and the port of Salina Cruz.

An Associated Press report indicated that, “municipal authorities in Huatulco ordered “’he absolute closure’ of all the resort’s beaches and its famous seven bays, many of which are reachable only by boat. They also closed local schools and began setting up emergency storm shelters.”

It added that, “the civil defense office in Oaxaca published photos Sunday of fishermen hauling their boats up on beaches to protect them from the storm as the initial bands moved over land.”

The U.S. National Hurricane Center reported that the storm is expected to produce 10 to 16 inches (250 to 400 millimeters) of rain in areas of Oaxaca, with isolated maximums of 20 inches (500 millimeters), with possible flash floods and mudslides.