Hurricane Raymond has beleaguered residents on Mexico's south-central Pacific coast bracing for more heavy rain and flooding.
The storm, as of late Monday morning, boasted winds of 120 mph, and maximum gusts of 150 mph. It was a Category 3-level hurricane–the first in the Eastern Pacific this season–and expected to strengthen slightly before weakening slowly during the next few days as it churns to the west.
At 11 a.m. Raymond was located 105 miles southwest of the neighboring resort cities of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo in the state of Guerrero.
The storm was essentially stalled, inching northward at 2 mph. Areas that might feel the strongest effects over the next few days are in Guerrero. They include Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Acapulco, and the port city of Lazaro Cardenas, in the state of Michoacan.
Reached via email, longtime Zihuatanejo resident Ed Kunze stated that the hope is that the storm will be coaxed away from the region by geographical forces and cooler air coming from the south and east.
"It has stalled because it is pushing a huge amount of air in front of it, which gets blocked by the 7,000- to 9,000-foot Sierra Madre Mountains behind us," said Kunze, who is not a meteorologist but has been through several hurricane scares. "As the air gets packed against the mountains, it creates an artificial high pressure, which the hurricane bounces off of, and usually heads up the coast.
"But, this time we also have cold air coming down from the north, creating another 'wall.' To survive, it has to escape by changing directions… and probably out west. I am confident we won’t get hit, and the stalling action fairly well confirms it."
Kunze said that about three inches of rain had fallen by 1:30 p.m.
Corky Carroll, a former pro surfer who lives in Ixtapa, posted this observation on his Facebook page Monday morning: "Well.... HURRICANE RAYMOND which is reaching CAT 4 status is sitting rudely almost on top of us. So far just a lot of rain and the surf is not that bad either, but who knows what's next. One report says it is gonna cream us and the other says its not.... I am going with the NOT."
Last month, Hurricane Ingrid and on Mexico’s Gulf Coast and Tropical Storm Manuel in the Pacific teamed to cause flooding that killed at least 139 people and left thousands of residents homeless.
Hurricane Raymond is expected to maintain hurricane strength at least through Saturday, as it travels in a westerly direction.
–Pete Thomas
–Image is a NOAA satellite view of Hurricane Raymond, captured Monday morning
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