UPDATE: Hurricane John Now a Category 4 Storm
Pastor Dale Morgan
UPDATE: Hurricane John Now a Category 4 Storm*
Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
Wednesday, August 30, 2006; 10:45 AM
ACAPULCO, Mexico -- Hurricane John strengthened into a dangerous
Category 4 storm Wednesday, with forecasters predicting its center would
come closer to land during its march up Mexico's Pacific coast, as its
outer bands lashed tourist resorts with heavy winds and rain.
Meteorologist Mark McInerney of the National Hurricane Center in Miami
told The Associated Press that the storm has became a Category 4 storm
with winds exceeding 130 mph.
In this satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Hurricane John is shown southwest of Mexico's coast
In this satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Hurricane John is shown southwest of Mexico's coast at
10:15am EDT on Wednesday August 30. (NOAA via Getty Images)
While its eye was not projected to hit land, the U.S. National Hurricane
Center said hurricane-force winds were likely to begin lashing beaches
northwest of Acapulco and Ixtapa late Wednesday.
Before it was upgraded from a Category 3 hurricane, John had maximum
sustained winds of 115 mph early Wednesday, with stronger gusts.
John was running parallel to the coast and was not expected to affect
the United States. The forecast path would carry the storm out to sea
below Los Cabos at the tip of the Baja California peninsula, but
forecasters warned that track could vary.
Early Wednesday, the hurricane was centered about 135 miles
west-southwest of Acapulco and was moving to the west-northwest at 12 mph.
The hurricane center said hurricane force winds extended outward as far
as 45 miles, with tropical storm-force winds reaching out 125 miles.
Hurricane watches and warnings covered more than 400 miles of coast from
Tecpan de Galeana _ up the coast from Acapulco _ to Cabo Corrientes, the
southwestern tip on the bay that holds Puerto Vallarta. The resort of
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo was in the watch area.
A hurricane warning was called for the center of that area, from the
industrial center of Lazaro Cardenas toward the port of Manzanillo.
"While the center of John is forecast to remain just offshore any
deviation to the right of track will bring hurricane force winds to the
coast in the warning area," the center said.
Saul Martinez, night manager at Acapulco's Los Flamingos Hotel, said
there weren't many guests around because it was the low season, but that
the storm wasn't scaring away those who had come to the beach.
"The people are going out, like any other day," he said.
Skies over the resort were cloudy, but it had yet to begin raining late
Tuesday night.
Authorities warned residents of low-lying areas to be on alert and urged
deep-sea fishing expeditions to return to port in Acapulco. But the
airport was still open, and there were few signs of preparation for the
hurricane.
Forecasters warned the hurricane could dump up to 12 inches of rain
along some of Mexico's southern coast.
The storm had already brought winds and rain to a swath of coastline
from Puerto Escondido, a beach community popular with surfers in the
southern state of Oaxaca, to Acapulco.