Tropical Storm Rick gained strength and became a hurricane this Saturday off the coast of Guerrero state, in southern Mexico, and is feared to
cause flash floods and landslides
, according to forecasts.
The National Hurricane Center of the United States said that Rick could continue to gain strength and reach winds of up to 120 miles per hour (195 km / h) before
making landfall on Monday
somewhere between the port of Lázaro Cárdenas and the coastal city of Manzanillo.
Meanwhile, some 21 million people are on alert this weekend for rains and storms in the United States.
About 21 million people in the country are on alert for rains and storms this weekend
Oct. 22, 202102: 44
The forecast brings flood risk to more than six million people in California.
The Great Lakes area will be hit by severe storms from Sunday.
A Category 3 hurricane
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) of Mexico indicated that the hurricane reached category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale in the last hours and that it will strengthen to a category 2 hurricane in the early hours of Sunday.
By noon on Monday, it could reach category 3. It is then expected to be located some 200 kilometers south-southwest of
Zihuatanejo, Guerrero
, the SMN said.
Move towards the northwest
The vortex of Hurricane Rick was this Saturday about 205 miles (335 kilometers) south of the coastal resort of Zihuatanejo, in Mexico with winds of 80 miles per hour (130 km / h) and was moving from north to northwest, according to the Center National Hurricane.
The trajectory of Tropical Storm Rick, which reached hurricane category on Saturday, October 23, and the probable intensity of the winds, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
It was expected to make landfall somewhere west of Zihuatanejo, an area without resorts, but which includes two major seaports and mountainous terrain that has been highly vulnerable to flash floods and landslides.
In their advance, Rick's cloud bands will
produce torrential punctual rains that could generate landslides and floods
in areas of Guerrero and Oaxaca, as well as very heavy rains in Michoacán, Puebla and Morelos, the SMN indicated.
Because of this, the agency, in coordination with the Miami National Hurricane Center, established
a surveillance zone
for hurricane effects from Técpan de Galeana, Guerrero, to Punta San Telmo, Michoacán.
[
La Niña is back and may dry up the West and propel powerful hurricanes
]
Mexico suffered the passage of Hurricane Pamela just 10 days ago.
This Wednesday, October 13 image shows the damage caused by the storm in Mazatlán.Roberto Echeagaray / AP
In addition to a surveillance zone for tropical storm effects from Tecpan de Galeana to Acapulco, both in Guerrero, and from Punta San Telmo, Michoacán, to Manzanillo, Colima.
He also asked
the general population in
the areas of the states mentioned
to
be extremely cautious
due to rain, wind and waves (including maritime navigation) and to attend to the recommendations issued by the Civil Protection authorities in each region.
A busy season
On October 13, Cyclone Pamela made landfall as a category 1 hurricane in the state of Sinaloa, in the Mexican Pacific, where after its passage it left 2,000 families affected, in addition to 9,000 victims in the neighboring state of Nayarit and material damage, especially in the electrical network.
A 5-year-old girl and a Latina woman die in floods caused by storm Pamela in Texas
Oct. 16, 202101: 39
The Mexican authorities predicted last May the formation of
between 14 and 20 named systems in the Pacific Ocean for this season
, while for the Atlantic they predicted 15 to 19 meteorological phenomena.
With information from
Agencia EFE
and
The Associated Press
.
