Erick hits southwestern Mexico as Category 3 hurricane

Widespread damage but no deaths have been reported after Hurricane Erick made landfall as a major Category 3 storm along the southwestern coast of Mexico, according to officials. The cyclone has since weakened to a tropical depression.

Hurricane Erick came ashore around 5:30 a.m. local time on Thursday in the state of Oaxaca, just east of Punta Maldonado, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The storm underwent rapid intensification in less than 24 hours, strengthening from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane shortly before landfall. It weakened slightly before hitting land due to interaction with terrain and possible internal structural changes, including an eyewall replacement cycle.

Erick is expected to dissipate over the mountains of southwestern Mexico by Thursday night.

No fatalities have been reported, but preliminary assessments indicate damage across several municipalities, particularly in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero.

Mexico’s Civil Protection Agency reported that an undetermined number of homes were damaged in at least three municipalities. Flooding was also reported at a public hospital in Santa María Huatulco, and multiple roads were affected by landslides and rockfalls.

Local media footage showed structural wind damage, including collapsed roofs at gas stations and damage to trees and building facades.

More than 120,000 people lost power, primarily in the municipalities of Santiago Pinotepa Nacional and Ometepec.

Erick is part of an active start to the Eastern Pacific hurricane season and set a new record as the earliest named “E” storm. According to the NHC, “Erick was the earliest major hurricane landfall in Mexico since records began, and that includes both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.”