First hurricane of ’22 takes aim at Mexico, could affect the Gulf
MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Agatha, the first named storm this year in the eastern Pacific, is hurtling toward the southwestern Mexican coast, which it threatens to lash with storm surges and potentially fatal floods and mudslides, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday.
The center upgraded Agatha’s classification from a tropical storm to a hurricane Sunday, after its wind speeds increased to 75 mph.
“On the forecast track, the center of Agatha will approach the southern coast of Mexico later today and tonight and make landfall there on Monday,” the center said Sunday.
It was on track to bring heavy rains to portions of southern Mexico by Sunday night, the center said.
The worst downpours, with the potential to bring 20 inches of rain, were expected to hit the largely rural Mexican state of Oaxaca.
The center issued a hurricane warning — meaning that life and property should be rapidly protected — for roughly 160 miles of the Oaxacan coast, from the city of Santa Cruz to Lagunas de Chacahua.
Hurricane conditions, including flash floods and mudslides, also threatened areas to the west, as far as the state of Guerrero, and to the east, in the state of Chiapas. Heavy rains are projected to continue through Tuesday, the center said.
Storms originating in the eastern Pacific generally do not reach the United States as hurricanes, Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the Hurricane Center, said Saturday. The same applies to Agatha, he said, though he added that if the storm “survives its trek across Mexico, then its remnants could emerge into the Gulf of Mexico.”
Agatha formed off the Mexican coast and was named Saturday, not long after the official start of the eastern Pacific hurricane season, which runs from May 15 to Nov. 30.
The Atlantic hurricane season — the term used for storms that form in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean — begins Tuesday and runs to Nov. 30.
More flights canceled:
Hundreds of flights worldwide were canceled Sunday, adding to the mounting number of scrubbed flights during the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend in the United States.
More than 1,260 flights had been canceled by Sunday afternoon, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
That followed more than 2,300 cancellations Friday and another 1,500 Saturday. More than 350 of Sunday’s cancellations involved aircraft scheduled to fly to or from U.S. cities.
China eases restrictions:
Shoppers returned to Beijing’s malls Sunday as the Chinese capital relaxed pandemic restrictions after declaring a small but persistent COVID-19 outbreak effectively under control.
A partial reopening of stores and offices was welcomed by a weary populace and struggling shopkeepers eager for life to return to normal. Coupled with a gradual easing of restrictions in Shanghai, it signaled that the worst is over in the twin outbreaks in China’s most prominent cities.
Restaurants remain closed in Beijing, except for takeout and delivery, and many people in Shanghai still can only go out with special passes and for a limited time, even as the number of new cases has plummeted.
Beijing allowed public parks, gyms and theaters to reopen Sunday, all at 50% capacity.
A portion of the Great Wall is scheduled to reopen to visitors Monday.
Pelosi’s husband arrested:
Paul Pelosi, the husband of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, was arrested this weekend on suspicion of DUI in Northern California, police records showed Sunday.
Paul Pelosi, 82, was taken into custody late Saturday in Napa County north of San Francisco, according to a sheriff ’s office online booking report. He could face charges including driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol content level of 0.08 or higher, the report said.
Pelosi’s bail was set for $5,000 for the two misdemeanors, records showed. No other details were immediately available.
Colombia election: Colombians will make a choice for president between a leftist former rebel and a populist businessman in a June runoff after none of the six candidates in Sunday’s first round got 50% of the vote.
Leftist Sen. Gustavo Petro led Sunday’s results with just over 40% of the votes, while independent real estate tychoon Rodolfo Hernández finished second with more than 28%, election authorities said Sunday evening.
Voters in the South American country went to the polls amid a polarized environment and growing discontent over increasing inequality and inflation.
Petro has promised to make significant adjustments to the economy, including tax reform. Hernández has few connections to political parties and promises to reduce wasteful government spending and to offer rewards for people who report corrupt officials.
Nepal plane search: Rescuers zeroed in on a possible location of a passenger plane with 22 people aboard that is feared to have crashed Sunday in cloudy weather in Nepal’s mountains, officials said.
The Tara Air plane was on a 20-minute scheduled flight from the resort town of Pokhara, 125 miles east of Kathmandu, to the mountain town of Jomsom. The turboprop aircraft lost contact with the airport tower close to landing in an area of deep river gorges and mountaintops.
An army helicopter and private choppers were taking part in the search, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said in a statement.
Army troops and rescue teams were headed to the possible site of the crash, believed to be around Lete, a village in Mustang district, army spokesman Narayan Silwal said on Twitter.