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ACAPULCO, Mexico — Hurricane Otis upgraded from a tropical storm to a dangerous Category 4 hurricane in a matter of hours Tuesday as it approached Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, where it was forecast to make landfall near the resort of Acapulco on early Wednesday, possibly as a catastrophic category. 5 storm.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Otis had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph) Tuesday night. Its center was about 135 kilometers (85 miles) south-southeast of Acapulco and was moving northwest at 13 kph (8 mph).
The center warned that Otis would continue to strengthen and could become a Category 5 hurricane with maximum winds exceeding 157 mph (253 kph) before making landfall. A hurricane warning was in effect from Punta Maldonado to Zihuatanejo.
In Acapulco, people rushed home as rain began to lash the resort and winds intensified, driving tourists off the beach.
The Guerrero state government said it was preparing 396 shelters in anticipation of families being driven from their homes by wind damage or rising waters.
Mexico’s army and navy deployed more than 8,000 soldiers to the area with specialized equipment to assist in the rescues. Authorities closed the port of Acapulco, home to about 300 fishing boats.
Otis was expected to dump 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rain on Guerrero, with up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) possible in some areas. That raised the possibility of landslides and flash flooding in Guerrero’s rugged mountainous terrain.
In the Atlantic, Hurricane Tammy It continued to move northeast over open water with winds of 120 kph (75 mph) after passing over the Lesser Antilles over the weekend. Tammy was located about 565 miles (910 kilometers) south-southeast of Bermuda. The storm was expected to weaken on Thursday, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
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