Hurricane Carlos has been gaining strength off the Pacific coast of Mexico since the last week. Carlos is currently a category 1 hurricane and is expected to intensify further. The hurricane has the potential to bring devastating floods and mudslides particularly over elevated areas.
Hurricane Carlos is presently centered around 135 km southwest of Acapulco, Mexico. The hurricane is inching very slowly at a speed of 4 kmph northeastwards towards land. Carlos is packing sustained wind speeds of 150 kmph gusting to 185 kmph. The hurricane is expected to intensify with sustained wind speeds of about 165 kmph gusting up to 200 kmph. Warnings have been issued along the western coastline of Mexico especially of the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco. Rainfall ranging from 250 mm to 375 mm is expected to occur along the coast on Tuesday. This could lead to massive flooding, mudslides and storm surge.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Mexico, a cluster of thunderstorms has gathered over the Yucatan Peninsula. According to the National Hurricane center, these thunderstorms could merge to form a tropical storm during the next few days when it crosses the Gulf of Mexico.
Image credit: mycentraloregon.com
