Hurricane Otis made landfall near Acapulco in southern Mexico on Wednesday as a category 5 storm with wind speeds of approximately 165mph, marking the first time in recorded history that the eastern Pacific has had a hurricane maintain category 5 intensity after landfall. This surpasses Hurricane Patricia in 2015, which had wind speeds of about 150mph upon striking land.
The storm's rapid intensification caught forecasters off guard. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) had initially predicted Otis would move westwards as a tropical storm when it formed three days before landfall. Even 24 hours before it reached category 5 status, the NHC only forecast peak winds of about 70mph. However, Otis intensified rapidly, with winds increasing by about 70mph in just 12 hours, leaving little time for preparations.
This rapid intensification was among the largest on record in the eastern Pacific, fuelled by high ocean temperatures and reduced wind shear. The unexpected development was not accurately captured by weather models, partly due to limited data availability, with no radar in the area and only one observation flight.
Acapulco, home to over 1 million people, has been severely affected. Authorities have confirmed 27 deaths related to Hurricane Otis, with four people still missing.
Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone Tej brought extreme rainfall and strong winds to Yemen and Oman earlier this week. On Monday, the cyclone had wind speeds of about 85mph, equivalent to a category 1 hurricane, before making landfall in eastern Yemen on Tuesday. The storm weakened rapidly over the Arabian peninsula but still brought extreme rainfall, with Al Ghaydah in eastern Yemen recording 432mm (17in) of rain in 24 hours – the equivalent of more than five years' worth of rain for the region – leading to flooding in the normally arid area.
