After rapidly intensifying on Tuesday, Category 5 Hurricane Otis made landfall early Wednesday morning near Acapulco, Mexico with max winds of 165 mph. It’s the first Category 5 to make landfall from the eastern Pacific.

What You Need To Know

  • Hurricane Otis made landfall on Wednesday, Oct. 25

  • Its wind speeds increased 95 kts per hour (nearly 109 mph) in 24 hours

  • Most weather models did not have Otis surpassing Category 2 strength less than 24 hours before landfall

Not only was Hurricane Otis’ landfall intensity record-breaking, but so was the intensification timing. Otis rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours.

Spectrum News 13 Meteorologist Zach Covey says Hurricane Otis now holds the second fastest rapid intensification in the Eastern Pacific Basin on record, only behind Hurricane Patricia in 2015.

He also added that it was somewhat of a surprise, with Otis exceeding model expectations for intensity. Even with less than 24 hours before landfall, most models did not forecast Otis surpassing Category 2 strength.

Along with becoming the first Category 5 to make landfall from the eastern Pacific, it became the strongest eastern Pacific hurricane to make landfall with max winds of 165 mph

Hurricane Patricia in the eastern Pacific in 2015 had a higher peak intensity with max winds of 215, setting a global record that still stands today, but it was weakening upon landfall with max winds of 150 mph.

Here is a satellite loop of Hurricane Otis’ intensification, including when it made landfall.

Hurricane Otis brought significant impacts to parts of southern Mexico. Along with the powerful 165 mph winds, Otis was forecast to produce up to 8 to 16 inches of rainfall through Thursday, with locally higher totals.

The heavy rainfall could easily trigger mudslides at higher elevations, along with widespread flash and urban flooding. Large waves and life-threatening storm surge battered Mexico’s southern coast.

This is what it looked like in Acapulco, Mexico, early Wednesday morning after Otis made landfall.

Here is more of the aftermath around Acapulco after Otis passed through.

Otis will continue to weaken as it moves inland, eventually dissipating by Wednesday night over the higher terrain of southern Mexico. It will continue to produce heavy rainfall through Thursday.

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