1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Middle EastUS election Ukraine
CatastropheMexico

Hurricane John hits Mexico as Category 3 storm

September 24, 2024

Residents of Mexico's southern Pacific coast have been warned to protect themselves against flooding and storm surge. Hurricane John made landfall in southern Mexico's Pacific coast as a Category 3 storm.

https://p.dw.com/p/4kzxg
A satellite image of Hurricane John
Authorities have warned of heavy flooding and mudslides as Hurricane John makes landfall on Mexico's southwest coastlineImage: NOAA/AP/picture alliance

Hurricane John hit the southern Pacific coast of Mexico late on Monday as a Category 3 storm, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

John made the landfall near Marquelia in Guerrero state, with maximum sustained winds of around 120 miles (195 kilometers) per hour, the NHC said.

"Damaging hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge and flash flooding are ongoing," it added.  

An empty beach in Salina Cruz, Mexico
An empty beach in Mexico's Oaxaca state as Hurricane John makes landfall on Monday Image: Rusvel Rasgado/AFP/Getty Images

What do we know about Hurricane John?

The Category 3 storm could bring "extraordinary" rainfall to parts of Oaxaca and Guerrero, according to Mexico's national water commission, Conagua.

The NHC warned that torrential rainfall could cause "significant and possibly catastrophic, life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides," in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and southeast Guerrero through Thursday.

Residents brace themselves

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has urged people to seek protection as the top disaster agency issued a red alert in parts of Guerrero and neighboring Oaxaca state.

A woman carries a red table on a beach in Oaxaca State, Mexico
Residents in Oaxaca State have been told to move away from the coastline Image: Rusvel Rasgado/AFP/Getty Images

"Don't forget that life is the most important thing, material things can be replaced," the president wrote on social media.

Authorities have warned the residents living along the coastline to seek shelter against potentially deadly storm surges and catastrophic rain.

Schools have been closed in parts of Oaxaca and Guerrero because of the approaching storm.

mfi/jsi (AP, AFP, Reuters)

Skip next section Explore more

Explore more

Nachwirkungen des Hurrikans Otis in Mexiko

Acapulco, Mexico, devastated by deadly Hurricane Otis

Acapulco, Mexico, devastated by deadly Hurricane Otis

Frustration is growing in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco over the slow government response to a deadly hurricane. At least 27 people were killed when Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico's Pacific coast after intensifying into a category five storm.
CatastropheOctober 27, 202301:47 min