Looking Back at the First Major Hurricane Landfall of the Season

Hurricane Erick created deadly flooding when it slammed into Mexico's Oaxaca state on Thursday morning. Here is a look back at the first major hurricane to roam the Northern Hemisphere this season.

Hurricane Erick Roars Into Mexico as a Category 3 Storm

Hurricane Erick made landfall as a Category 3 storm, ushering in damaging winds and torrential rainfall that was responsible for widespread flooding. Erick came ashore about 20 miles to the east of Punta Maldonado just after 6 am local time on Thursday. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the storm was packing winds of 125 mph when it made landfall.

The eye of the storm came on land about 100 miles to the east of Acapulco. This landfall location spared the popular tourist destination the worst of the impacts.

The massive amount of moisture associated with Erick created flooding throughout Oaxaca and the neighboring Guerrero state. At least one fatality has been confirmed as a result of the flooding. The Associated Press confirmed that a one-year-old boy drowned in the town of San Marcos, located approximately 30 miles east of Acapulco. Guerrero state Civil Defense Director Roberto Arroyo said that the boy's mother was trying to cross a swollen river carrying the boy when they were swept away.

Erick is distinguished as the first major hurricane to hit Mexico prior to the beginning of July. The NHC defines a major hurricane as a storm rated as a Category 3 or higher. Erick briefly developed into a Category 4 storm, packing winds of 145 mph prior to making its landfall.

Forecasters had been monitoring this part of the Eastern Pacific for days leading up to Erick's formation. As experts had predicted last week, the feature went through the process of rapid intensification on Tuesday night and into Wednesday night, taking it from a mere tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in a period of 24 hours. More storms are going through rapid intensification with greater frequency due to climate change.

Hurricane Erick weakened quickly as it moved over the steep terrain of Mexico, developing into a Category 1 storm a few hours after its initial landfall. The feature had deteriorated into a tropical storm by the afternoon hours before completely dissipating by the next day.

Despite the rapid weakening, Erick was still able to dump large amounts of moisture through Friday over the region. The moisture left from the storm's remnants briefly impacted some areas of the Southwest.

It has already been a supercharged Eastern Pacific hurricane season since it officially began on May 15. Erick was the fifth named feature of the young season. The storm was also the second hurricane of the year. According to historical data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this part of the Pacific basin does not typically see its second hurricane come to life until the middle of July.

While the Atlantic hurricane season got underway officially on June 1, it has been uncharacteristically quiet in this part of the world's ocean. The basin has not yet produced a named storm this year. Furthermore, experts say that there is little to no chance that a feature will come together in the next week.

The NHC will be monitoring an area off the coast of northeastern Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas for potential tropical weather development by the end of June. The storms that are set to impact the Northeast could dip to the south when moving offshore, laying the groundwork for a tropical rainstorm as it moves over the Gulf Stream.

Acapulco Dodges the Wrath of Erick

Although Erick wreaked havoc in some areas of Mexico, it could have been considerably worse. There was a time last week when the models indicated that the populated urban area of Acacuplo was in the potential line of fire.

The beach destination is still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Otis in October of 2023. Otis made landfall as a powerful Category 5 hurricane, devastating Acapulco and its tourism industry. Like Erick, Otis went through rapid intensification prior to coming ashore.

Acapulco’s port closed on Tuesday evening in advance of Erick's arrival. Guerrero state Gov. Evelyn Salgado ordered that activity in Acapulco in the surrounding beach communities be suspended at 8 pm local time on Wednesday. Schools in the state were closed through the day Thursday. Local officials also set up nearly 600 shelters to house people who had to evacuate their homes.

Looking ahead, hurricane watchers will be watching the zone to the west of Central America for potential tropical activity. The most likely time for development in this part of the basin will be between the dates of June 25 and June 28.

The Eastern Pacific is forecast to see between 14 and 18 tropical storms ignite this season. Of that predicted number, seven to 10 could become hurricanes.

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