Major Hurricane John - Tropical storm to Category 3 Hurricane

All in a day's time, the eastern Pacific's Hurricane John rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to making landfall as a Major Category 3 Hurricane east-southeast of Acapulco on Monday, September 23. John was a newly formed tropical depression on Sunday, September 22.

Major Hurricane John made landfall with sustained winds of 120 mph on Monday at 9:15 p.m., local time south-southwest of Marquelia, Mexico, and 94 miles east-southeast of Acapulco. Due to favorable conditions and very warm waters, John rapidly intensified just off Mexico's southwest coast, similar to Major Hurricane Otis in October 2023.

As of Tuesday morning, the center of John was located just north of Acapulco bringing life-threatening flash flooding and gusty winds. The system will meander around the same spot over the next few days, bringing more flash flooding, as seen on the RainRadar.

Not far east in the western Caribbean, Tropical Storm Helene is expected to rapidly intensify as it heads into the bath-like waters of the Gulf of Mexico within the next 24 to 36 hours. Western Florida residents are busy preparing for life-threatening storm surge, flooding, tornadoes and damaging winds.

Rapidly intensifying tropical systems can often catch coastal residents off guard, especially when they strengthen in a matter of hours so close to landfall, just as Major Hurricane Otis and Major Hurricane John did. Learn more about rapid intensification here.