Hurricane John makes landfall in Mexico with threat of ‘extraordinary’ rainfall and catastrophic flooding

Hurricane John slammed into the southern Pacific coast of Mexico late on Monday as a powerful category 3 storm, as local authorities warned of life-threatening storm surges and the potential for catastrophic flash floods.

The hurricane brought fierce winds and what officials described as potentially “extraordinary” rainfall after it intensified from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in a matter of hours.

Hurricane John made landfall in the city of Marquelia, located in the tourist hub state of Guerrero, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (193 kph) at around 9.15pm Central Standard Time, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a statement.

Its rapid strengthening appeared to catch the authorities off guard as they scrambled to update warnings to residents and issued evacuation orders to those living on the coast.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged residents in coastal areas to seek higher ground as the top disaster agency issued a red alert for parts of Guerrero and neighbouring Oaxaca state.

“Don’t forget that life is the most important thing – material things can be replaced,” the president wrote on social media.

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