Hurricane Otis batters Mexico's Acapulco after hitting as Category 5 storm

[Brian McWatters]

Hurricane Otis pummels Mexico's Acapulco, cutting off famous beach resort

Hurricane Otis, one of the strongest storms ever to hit Mexico's Pacific Coast, roared into the beach resort of Acapulco early on Wednesday, smashing buildings and vital infrastructure and leaving the city incommunicado and without power.

www.reuters.com

The 923 mb analyzed landfall pressure of Otis is the lowest central pressure for a landfalling Pacific hurricane in Mexico.

Hurricane OTIS

www.nhc.noaa.gov

The previous record holder, Patricia in 2015, had a landfall pressure of 932 mb.

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/EP202015_Patricia.pdf

The sustained wind speed of Otis, 165 mph, probably makes it the most intense Eastern Pacific hurricane at landfall. And Otis intensified 95 kt in 24 hours, a mark only exceeded in modern times by Patricia in 2015.

Hurricane OTIS

www.nhc.noaa.gov

 

[John Farley]

Interesting piece written by a meteorologist on the rapid intensification of this storm, and the increasing incidence of rapid intensification:

Otis teaches a terrifying lesson in rapid hurricane intensification

Hurricane Otis shows that there's a scary new rapid intensification paradigm in the tropics. The whole world needs to worry about it.

thebulletin.org

 

[John Farley]

205 mph gust measured.

MSN

www.msn.com