Hurricane Otis

Extracted Attributes

• Fatalities

  At least 52

• Peak Wind Gust

  204.90 mph (329.76 km/h)

• Missing Persons

  32

• Estimated Damage

  $12–16 billion (2023 USD)

• Landfall Location

  Near Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

• Intensity Category

  Category 5 (Saffir-Simpson Scale)

• Intensification Rate

  Tropical storm to Category 5 in 24 hours

• Peak Sustained Winds

  165 mph (270 km/h)

• Lowest Atmospheric Pressure

  922 mbar (hPa)

Timeline

• Hurricane Otis forms from a disturbance several hundred miles south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2023-10-22

• Otis undergoes explosive intensification, strengthening from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane within a 24-hour period. (Source: Guy Carpenter)

  2023-10-24

• Otis makes landfall near Acapulco, Mexico, as a Category 5 hurricane with 165 mph winds at approximately 06:45 UTC. (Source: NHC Tropical Cyclone Report)

  2023-10-25

• The hurricane quickly weakens over the mountainous terrain of Guerrero and dissipates later that day. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2023-10-25

• The National Autonomous University of Mexico recovers weather station data confirming record wind gusts of 204.90 mph in Acapulco Bay. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2023-10-30

Hurricane Otis

Hurricane Otis was a compact but very powerful tropical cyclone which made a devastating landfall near Acapulco as a Category 5 hurricane in October 2023. Otis was the first Pacific hurricane on record to make landfall at Category 5 intensity and became the strongest Pacific hurricane to make landfall, surpassing Hurricane Patricia of 2015. The resulting damage made Otis the costliest tropical cyclone to strike Mexico on record, surpassing Hurricane Wilma of 2005. The fifteenth tropical storm, tenth hurricane, eighth major hurricane, and second Category 5 hurricane of the 2023 Pacific hurricane season, Otis originated from a disturbance several hundred miles south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec. Initially forecast to stay offshore and to only be a weak tropical storm at peak intensity, Otis instead underwent explosive intensification to reach peak winds of 165 mph (270 km/h) and weakened only slightly before making landfall as a powerful Category 5 hurricane. Once inland, the hurricane quickly weakened before dissipating the following day. Making landfall just west of Acapulco, Otis's powerful winds severely damaged many of the buildings in the city. Landslides and flooding resulted from heavy rain. Communication was heavily cut off, initially leaving information about the hurricane's impact largely unknown. In the aftermath, the city had no drinking water and many residents also lost power. The government of Guerrero mobilized thousands of military members to aid survivors and assist in recovery efforts. Thousands of recovery items were sent out to those affected and donations were sent out to each of the affected families. The hurricane caused at least 52 deaths and left 32 others missing. Total damage from Otis was estimated to be billions of dollars (2023 USD), with several agencies estimating $12–16 billion in damage, making it the costliest Pacific hurricane on record, surpassing Hurricane Manuel in 2013.

Web Search Results

• Hurricane Otis - Wikipedia

  Hurricane Otis was a compact but very powerful tropical cyclone which made a devastating landfall near Acapulco as a Category 5 hurricane in October 2023. Otis was the first Pacific hurricane on record to make landfall at Category 5 intensity and became the strongest Pacific hurricane to make landfall, surpassing Hurricane Patricia of 2015. The resulting damage made Otis the costliest tropical cyclone to strike Mexico on record, surpassing Hurricane Wilma of 2005. The fifteenth tropical storm, tenth hurricane, eighth major hurricane, and second Category 5 hurricane of the 2023 Pacific hurricane season, Otis originated from a disturbance several hundred miles south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec. Initially forecast to stay offshore and to only be a weak tropical storm at peak intensity, Otis [...] Hurricane Otis made landfall in Acapulco as a Category 5 hurricane on October 25, making it by far the strongest hurricane to ever strike this area of Mexico. On October 30, the National Autonomous University of Mexico tweeted that data from two weather stations in Acapulco Bay were recovered. One station measured peak sustained winds of 113.64 mph (182.88 km/h) with a gust to 204.90 mph (329.76 km/h) at 05:40 UTC (12:40 a.m. CDT). If verified, this would be the seventh highest anemometer-measured wind gust recorded worldwide. A minimum pressure of 963.5 mb (28.45 inHg) was also observed at 05:50 UTC (12:50 a.m. CDT). A weather station on Isla de La Roqueta") [es] offshore western Acapulco recorded a maximum wind gust of 135 mph (217 km/h) as the eyewall moved across the city. Peak [...] Hurricane Otis | Otis at peak intensity nearing landfall in Guerrero early on October 25 | | Meteorological history | | Formed | October 22, 2023 | | Dissipated | October 25, 2023 | | Category 5 major hurricane | | 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | | Highest winds | 165 mph (270 km/h) | | Lowest pressure | 922 mbar "Bar (unit)") (hPa "Pascal (unit)")); 27.23 inHg | | Overall effects | | Fatalities | ≥52 | | Missing | ≥32 | | Damage | $12–16 billion (2023 USD) (Costliest Pacific hurricane on record; costliest in Mexican history) | | Areas affected | Southern Mexico (especially Guerrero) | | | | --- Part of the 2023 Pacific hurricane season |

• Acapulco After Hurricane Otis - NASA Science

  Hurricane Otis was one of the strongest storms in recorded history to hit the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Having strengthened from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane in just over 12 hours, the storm caught forecasters and the city of Acapulco off-guard when it made landfall on October 25, 2023. Otis knocked over power lines, uprooted trees, and unleashed torrential flooding and landslides. Beyond its devastating impact on human lives and property, the storm damaged the surrounding tropical forest.

• Post Event: Hurricane Otis - Guy Carpenter

  ### Historical Storm for Pacific Mexico Hurricane Otis is among the strongest storms in recorded history to impact the Pacific coast of Mexico and the first category-5 storm to make landfall in this region of Mexico. Before Otis, only two storms had made direct landfall within 50 miles of Acapulco, both at category-1 strength. While the city has experienced close calls with bypassing category-2 Hurricane Bridget (1971), and category-4 Hurricane Pauline (1997) which made landfall near Puerto Angel and tracked northwest through southwestern Guerrero, Otis was the first landfalling major hurricane in this area. Only two other category five hurricanes have made landfall anywhere along the Pacific coast of Mexico: Hurricane Kenna (2002) and Hurricane Patricia (2015). [...] ### Unexpected Rapid Intensification Tropical Storm to Category-5 in 24 hours: Before its landfall in Acapulco, Hurricane Otis increased from 75 to 145 mph (category-1 to category-4) in a 12-hour period and 50 mph to 165 mph (tropical storm to category-5) in a 24-hour period. The 12-hour and 24-hour intensity changes only trail Hurricane Patricia (2015) for fastest intensity changes in the East Pacific basin record (IBTrACS best track data). Using global data from the last 60 years, Otis’ 12-hour intensity change is in the top ~0.01% of all 12-hour intensity changes. [...] Significant Damage Reported in Acapulco: Hurricane Otis’s category-5 strength had devastating consequences for Acapulco and the surrounding metropolitan area. The region’s tourism dependent economy which accounts for roughly 30% of the state’s GDP, according to CoreLogic, was ravaged by the storm, with Guerrero state governor Evelyn Salgado stating that roughly 80% of the city’s hotels were damaged. The city’s high rise beachfront hotels and resorts suffered extreme wind impacts and beachfront locations also suffered flooding from storm surge. Damage to these properties, in addition to the luxury home and condominium properties are likely to drive insured losses. Further inland, 8-16” of rain combined with the mountainous topography of the region generated landslides and led to flooding

• [PDF] Hurricane Otis

  NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORT HURRICANE OTIS (EP182023) 22–25 October 2023 Brad J. Reinhart and Amanda Reinhart National Hurricane Center 2 April 20241 GOES-16 INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY OF CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE OTIS AT 0430 UTC 25 OCTOBER 2023, SHORTLY BEFORE IT MADE LANDFALL NEAR ACAPULCO, MEXICO. IMAGE COURTESY NOAA/NESDIS/STAR. Otis produced catastrophic damage when it made landfall near Acapulco, Mexico, as a category 5 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale). Otis is the strongest landfalling hurricane on record in the eastern Pacific basin since the NHC assumed operational responsibility for the basin in 1988. Otis caused at least 52 fatalities and an estimated $12–16 billion (USD) of total damage in Mexico, making it the costliest tropical cyclone [...] / 0300 16.1 99.7 922 145 " 25 / 0600 16.7 99.8 924 145 " 25 / 0645 16.8 99.9 929 140 " 25 / 1200 17.7 100.3 980 85 " 25 / 1800 18.6 100.7 1004 40 tropical storm 25 / 2100 dissipated 25 / 0300 16.1 99.7 922 145 minimum pressure and maximum wind 25 / 0645 16.8 99.9 929 140 landfall in Acapulco, Mexico Hurricane Otis 12 Table 2. Surface observations for Hurricane Otis, 22–25 October 2023. Location Minimum Sea Level Pressure Maximum Surface Wind Speed Storm surge (ft) Storm tide (ft) Estimated Inundation (ft) Total rain (in) Date/ time (UTC) Press. (mb) Date/ time (UTC)a Sustained (kt) Gust (kt) Mexico Guerrero Acapulco Port Authority (API) (16.85N 99.90W) 25/0650 963.5 25/0640 99 178 Isla Roqueta (IRQG3) (16.82N 99.91W) 25/0645 957.4 25/0645 71 117 El Veladero elev. 994 ft (16.88N 99.91W) [...] an elevated (994 ft) inland observation site at El Veladero National Park reported a gust of 95 kt at 0720 UTC that day. Storm Surge Hurricane Otis produced a catastrophic storm surge along portions of the coastline of the Mexican state of Guerrero near and east of the landfall location. Aerial imagery shows devastating storm surge flooding in coastal communities around Acapulco, and extensive damage to marinas was noted in Acapulco Bay with boats piled along the shoreline (Fig. 8). The maximum height of storm surge inundation remains unknown, however. A nearby tide station in Acapulco Bay, operated by the Tidal Service of Mexico, recorded incomplete data. Thus, there are no known tide station measurements that captured the peak storm surge. Rainfall and Flooding Otis produced heavy

• Hurricane Otis: Category 5 storm effects and cascading hazards in ...

  Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm, made landfall in Acapulco, Mexico, on October 25, 2023, with sustained winds of 270 km/h and wind gusts up to 330 km/h. Its unprecedented rapid intensification, attributed to record-high sea surface temperatures, marked it as the strongest storm to hit the region in the satellite era. This study documents the geomorphic, infrastructural, and socio-political impacts of the event, highlighting extensive coastal erosion, sediment deposition, and cascading hazards such as landslides and flooding. Coastal changes included severe beach erosion, overwash effects, and delta formation. Notably, beaches like Revolcadero experienced erosion exceeding 76 m, while scoured channels and widened tidal inlets transformed coastal geomorphology. Beyond physical [...] Skip to article My account Sign in View PDF ## Global and Earth Surface Processes Change Volume 3, June 2025, 100004 # Hurricane Otis: Category 5 storm effects and cascading hazards in Acapulco Bay, Mexico Author links open overlay panel, , , rights and content Under a Creative Commons license Open access ## Highlights • Hurricane Otis was the strongest storm to hit Acapulco, with 270 km/h winds. • The storm caused > 76 m beach erosion, scoured channels, and coastal reshaping. • Otis triggered cascading hazards, including flooding, landslides, and vegetation loss. • Economic losses topped $15 billion USD, displacing 34,500 families and affecting many. • Findings stress urgent need for climate adaptation, prevention, and disaster resilience strategies. [...] inlets transformed coastal geomorphology. Beyond physical alterations, the hurricane caused widespread infrastructure damage, displacing over 34,500 families and affecting more than 560,000 residents. Economic losses are estimated at over $15 billion USD, with significant impacts on hotels, residential buildings, transportation networks, and commercial establishments. The event revealed substantial gaps in disaster preparedness, as limited warnings and delayed responses worsened the socio-economic impact. Stagnant water and poor sanitation caused disease outbreaks, while inadequate aid distribution highlighted systemic inequities. The findings stress the urgent need for better disaster management, including early warning systems, equitable aid, and climate adaptation to address escalating

• Instance Of

  Q4167410