MEXICO CITY ( Associated Press) — Agatha, the first tropical storm of the 2022 Pacific hurricane season, was gaining strength and was expected to become a hurricane on Sunday as it moved toward the southern coast of Mexico.
The center of the storm was Saturday night about 310 kilometers (190 miles) southwest of Puerto Ángel, with winds of 95 kilometers (60 miles) per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
The meteor was moving northwest at 6 kilometers (3 miles) per hour, but was expected to veer further north.
A hurricane warning was issued for parts of the coast of the southern state of Oaxaca, where Agatha could make landfall on Monday, perhaps in the area around Puerto Escondido or the resort of Huatulco.
Although its winds could reach 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour at landfall, the Hurricane Center noted in particular the risk of “life-threatening flooding and mudslides” when the storm’s rains reach the mountainous terrain of Oaxaca.
The downpours could trigger mudslides, increase the flow of rivers and streams and flood low-lying areas, the Mexican National Water Commission said in a statement.
As its current track could take Agatha into the narrow Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the center said there was a chance remnants of the storm could reappear over the Gulf of Mexico.
In northern Guatemala, a woman and her six children died Saturday when a landslide buried their home, but the accident did not appear to be related to Agatha.
