Hurricane Otis hits Mexico and continues with category 5 intensity
On Wednesday, Hurricane Otis rapidly developed across the eastern Pacific before making landfall near Acapulco in southern Mexico as a category 5 hurricane with wind speeds estimated at about 165mph.
This marked the first time in recorded history that the eastern Pacific has had such a strong hurricane make landfall and continue with category-5 intensity, surpassing Hurricane Patricia in 2015, which had wind speeds of about 150mph after it struck land.
The intensity and track of Otis were notably different from the forecasts provided by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), with models initially having suggested that Otis would move westwards as a tropical storm when it first formed three days before making landfall.
Even 24 hours before the hurricane reached category 5 status, the NHC only predicted peak winds of about 70mph. However, Otis rapidly intensified en route to making landfall in Mexico, with winds increasing by about 70mph in just 12 hours, leaving little time for preparations to be made.
This rapid intensification was one of the largest on record in the eastern Pacific and was fuelled by high ocean temperatures and reduced wind shear, which refers to a change in wind speed or direction with a change in height. The rapid and unexpected intensification of Otis was not accurately captured by weather models, in part because of limited data availability, with no radar available in the area it made landfall and only one flight taking place to make observations.
Acapulco is home to more than 1 million people. At the time of writing, authorities had confirmed 27 deaths related to Hurricane Otis, with four people still missing.
Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone Tej brought extreme rainfall and strong winds to several regions in Yemen and Oman earlier this week. On Monday 23 October, the cyclone had wind speeds of about 85mph, equivalent to a category 1 hurricane, before it made landfall across eastern parts of Yemen during the early hours of the morning on Tuesday.
The storm then weakened rapidly as it moved into cooler and drier air over the Arabian peninsula. It still brought extreme rainfall totals to parts of Yemen and Oman, with Al Ghaydah in eastern Yemen recording 432mm (17in) of rainfall – the equivalent of more than five years’ worth of rain for the region – in 24 hours. The heavy rainfall and strong winds have resulted in flooding in this normally arid region.