The storm was the first Category 2 to ever make landfall in the eastern Pacific, and threatened to bring floods and mudslides to the state of Oaxaca.
Hurricane Agatha, the year’s first named storm in the eastern Pacific, made landfall in southern Mexico late on Monday afternoon, unleashing life-threatening winds reaching nearly 105 miles per hour and heavy rains that could cause mudslides and floods. The storm’s winds made it a Category 2 storm, the kind of weather event that can rip roofs off well-built homes, uproot trees and cause major power losses. Agatha was the first Category 2 to ever make landfall in the eastern Pacific basin, said Dan Pydynowski, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. “It will be the strongest one on record,” he said. The storm made landfall just west of Puerto Angel, a small fishing town in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Nearby, the beach town Zipolite has become an increasingly popular tourism destination, particularly for the L. G. B. T. Q. community. Oaxaca could get as much as 16 inches of rain, the National Hurricane Center warned on Monday, with isolated amounts of 20 inches and extremely dangerous storm surge and coastal flooding. Agatha was expected to lose strength as it moved inland, according to the National Hurricane Center, weakening to a tropical storm later Monday evening. Heavy rain was expected to continue into Tuesday as the storm moved northeast. Before Agatha, only two Category 1 hurricanes had made landfall in the region: Hurricane Barbara on May 29, 2013, and, coincidentally, Hurricane Agatha on May 24, 1971, Mr. Pydynowski said. Home to surfing hot spots, the coast of Oaxaca has long attracted tourists from around the world who are drawn to the golden sand beaches and laid back vibes of the Pacific region. The industry has been an important driver for the state’s economy. In 2019, before the pandemic decimated tourism in the region, more than 200,000 foreign tourists traveled to Oaxaca State, largely visiting the colonial capital city of Oaxaca.
