Hurricane Erick exploded in strength overnight just off Mexico’s southwestern coast, becoming a powerful Category 4 storm before making landfall Thursday morning in western Oaxaca, Mexico.
With sustained winds near 140 mph early Thursday, Erick became the first major hurricane of the 2025 Pacific hurricane season.
It was the strongest June hurricane to approach Mexico’s Pacific coastline.
Erick will weaken quickly as it pushes over the mountainous terrain and is likely to fall apart by early Friday.
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While the strong winds are dangerous, flooding rain and mudslides are the biggest concerns for communities in the storm’s path.
Erick could dump 8 to 12 inches of rain, with isolated areas seeing up to 16 inches, triggering life-threatening flash flooding and landslide over mountainous regions.
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Erick is the fifth named storm in just 10 days in the eastern Pacific, a very active start.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic remains unusually quiet for the third week of hurricane season. But remember, a slow start doesn’t mean a slow season. It only takes one storm to make a major impact.