Hurricane Carlotta makes landfall in Mexico
By the CNN Wire Staff
June 16, 2012 — Updated 0522 GMT (1322 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The center of Carlotta makes landfall near Puerto Escondido, Mexico
- Carlotta packs estimated 90 mph (150 kph) winds, which are expected to weaken
- Hurricane center: Rainfall could cause “life-threatening” flash floods and mudslides
- A hurricane warning is in effect for parts of Mexico’s southern Pacific coast
(CNN) — Fierce winds and intense rainfall are expected to pummel southern Mexico on Saturday after Hurricane Carlotta made landfall on the Pacific coast.
As of 8 p.m. (11 p.m. ET) Friday, the eye of the hurricane bore down on Puerto Escondido, Mexico, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
Carlotta carried maximum sustained winds of about 90 mph (150 kph), but they are expected to continue weakening after encountering high terrain, the weather agency said.
A hurricane warning is in effect for a swath of the southern Mexico coast from Salina Cruz to Punta Maldonado, the hurricane center said. A stretch from Punta Maldonado westward to Acapulco is under a tropical storm warning.
“The center of Carlotta will be moving inland over southern Mexico for the next few days. However, a small deviation to the left of the track could keep the center of the cyclone over water or along the coast,” the hurricane center said Friday night.
In addition to fierce winds, rainfall could cause “life-threatening” flash floods and mudslides, the center said, with some spots along the Oaxaca coast likely to get 12 to 15 inches of rain.
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