PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico (AP) 鈥� Two people are dead after former Hurricane John barreled into Mexico鈥檚 southern Pacific coast, blowing tin roofs off houses, triggering mudslides and toppling scores of trees, officials said Tuesday.
John grew into a major hurricane in a matter of hours Monday and made landfall about 80 miles (130 kilometers) east of the resort of Acapulco before declining to a tropical storm after moving inland.
John came ashore near the town of Punta Maldonado late Monday night as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (190 kph). It weakened back to tropical storm status early Tuesday with maximum sustained wind speeds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was expected to weaken rapidly.
Evelyn Salgado, the governor of the coastal state of Guerrero, said two people died when the storm sent a mudslide crashing into their house on the remote mountain of Tlacoachistlahuaca (TLAH-ko-chis-tla-waka), further from the coast.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that the storm鈥檚 slow pace and heavy rains could cause potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides in some states.
鈥淪eek higher ground, protect yourselves and do not forget that life is the most important thing; material things can be replaced. We are here,鈥� Mexican President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador wrote on the social media platform X.
Lincer Casiano Clemente, the mayor of the town of Marquelia, near where the hurricane hit on the coast, said early Tuesday that 鈥渢here are a lot of houses, mainly the ones with sheet roofing, where the force of the air blew off the roofing.鈥�
The mayor said no deaths or injuries had been reported in Marquelia so far, something he attributed to his ability to warn residents of the storm's approach. But power was knocked out along large parts of the coast, and highways were blocked by fallen trees. The government said some 60,000 people remained without power.
鈥淲e've never seen such strong gusts,鈥� the mayor said. By Tuesday morning, people were out looking for food, he said.
On Tuesday morning, the storm was 70 miles (110 kilometers) northwest of Acapulco and moving northwest at 12 mph (19 kph). It was forecast to dawdle along the coastal mountains, even dip back over the Pacific, but continue weakening throughout the day.
The hurricane center said heavy rainfall over coastal southwest Mexico through the week was likely to cause 鈥渟ignificant and possible catastrophic, life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides鈥� in parts of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero states.
Monday's unexpected surge in strength caught scientists, authorities and residents of the area by surprise, something AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Benz attributed to .
As a result, surprise surges in hurricanes' strength have become increasingly common, Benz said.
鈥淭hese are storms that we haven鈥檛 really experienced before,鈥� he said. 鈥淩apid intensification has occurred more frequently in modern times as opposed to back in the historical record. So that鈥檚 telling us there鈥檚 something going on there.鈥�
The storm is bleak news for the region, which was walloped by Otis, a similar rapidly intensifying hurricane, in 2023.
Otis , where residents had little warning of the strength of what was about to hit them. One of the most rapidly intensifying hurricanes ever seen, scientists at the time said it was .
Otis blew out power in the city for days, left bodies scattered on the coast and desperate family members searching for lost loved ones. Much of the city and thousands scavenged in stores, scrambled for food and water.
The government of L贸pez Obrador received harsh criticism for its slow response to Otis, but authorities have since pledged to pick up their speed.
said her government planned to work on improving an early alert system, similar to what the country has with earthquakes.
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AP writer Mar铆a Verza in Mexico City contributed to this report. Follow AP鈥檚 coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
Luis Alberto Cruz, The Associated Press
