Agatha, the first hurricane of the East Pacific season, had sustained maximum winds of 110 mph as of 10 p.m. Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said, compared to sustained winds of 60 mph in the same time Saturday night. Wind gusts as high as 130 mph have been reported.
Agatha is now far from a Category 3 storm and is expected to continue to gain strength before making landfall on Monday evening near Salina Cruz, Mexico.
The storm is about 125 miles southwest of Puerto Angel, Mexico, according to the Sunday night update.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Salina Cruz in Lagunas de Chacahua. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for Salina Cruz east to Boca de Pijijiapan and Lagunas de Chacahua west to Punta Maldonado.
Tropical storm conditions were expected to reach southern Mexico on Sunday night and hurricane conditions reached the warning zone on Monday.
“Storm surge could cause coastal flooding nearby and east of where the center passes the coast in areas of land winds,” the National Hurricane Center said. “The rise may be accompanied by big, destructive waves.”
In addition to the storm surge, Agatha’s heavy rains will affect parts of southern Mexico from Sunday to Tuesday night.
“The heaviest rainfall is expected in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, where 10 to 16 inches are expected, but an isolated total of up to 20 inches is possible,” the hurricane center said.
After crossing land, the remains of a dissipated Agatha could resurface south of the Gulf of Mexico in the middle of this week.
The National Hurricane Center has highlighted a 30% chance of development over the next five days across the region.