The center of Hurricane Olaf has moved from the Pacific Ocean to the coast of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, the National Civil Protection Service said.
Hurricane Olaf Strikes Coast! Warning of Maximum Hazard in Central and Southern Baja California Sur. Stay away from windows and avoid injury if they break. Stay safe in your home or temporary shelter until authorities indicate a hazard passed, "Mexico Civil Protection said on Twitter.
According to the latest figures from the National Water Commission, the wind speed at the epicenter of the hurricane is 150 kilometers per hour with gusts of up to 185 kilometers per hour.
In the city of La Paz, the international airport temporarily stopped working until 5.00 Friday. State authorities have raised the alarm by canceling school and government work.
The cyclone, in addition to hurricane winds, threatens northwestern Mexico with torrential rains and possible landslides. Rainfall in parts of Baja California Sur can reach 250 millimeters, with heavy rain expected in the states of Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Durango and Zacatecas. Wave heights on the California coast can reach 7 meters, in the southern part of the Cortez Sea and on the Sinaloa coast - up to 5 meters.
"Rains caused by a tropical cyclone can cause landslides, rise in the level of rivers and streams, and floods and floods in low-lying areas," the commission said.
The authorities strongly urge the public to follow the notices of the Water Commission and follow the instructions of the civil protection service. Maritime shipping in a hurricane must take extreme precautions.
A tropical storm is named when the accompanying wind reaches 62 kilometers per hour. For a hurricane to be assigned the first category on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which estimates potential damage from the elements, its wind speed must exceed 120 kilometers per hour. If the wind speed exceeds 150 kilometers per hour, the hurricane category will be increased to the second, at 180 - to the third, and at 210 - to the fourth. The fifth category is assigned to hurricanes with wind speeds of more than 250 kilometers per hour.