Authorities in Mexico "issued a red alert" — the country's most severe warning for extreme weather — as Hurricane Erick approached on Thursday, per The New York Times.

What's happening?

Hurricane Erick made landfall in western Oaxaca on Thursday, June 19.

Although winds were measured at up to 125 miles per hour when the storm hit, Erick had been downgraded overnight from a Category 4 hurricane to a Category 3. 

After Hurricane Otis rapidly intensified before making landfall in 2023, Mexican authorities were extremely proactive in their evacuation efforts, opening "thousands of shelters" in advance of Erick's landfall.

"If you are in low-lying areas, near rivers, near waterways, it is best for you to go to shelters, to the shelters that have already been set up for this situation," President Claudia Sheinbaum said. 

"Anyone who has a boat should not go out," she warned, as Erick neared the coast.

Why were Mexican authorities so concerned about Hurricane Erick?

Hurricane Otis made landfall in Acapulco in October 2023, causing over 50 deaths and between $12 billion and $16 billion in damage.

Otis infamously caught meteorologists off guard, developing into a Category 5 storm overnight. 

Rising temperatures and warming seas are like "steroids" for intense weather like hurricanes — hurricanes have always been part of weather patterns, but they get stronger and deadlier as the planet heats.

University of Albany atmospheric scientist Kristen Corbosiero told Scientific American that there was "nothing to hint to this extreme rate of intensification" when Otis walloped Acapulco, and that meteorologists struggled to understand why.

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"People there knew a hurricane was coming, but not to this intensity," Corbosiero explained. "In terms of warnings and messaging and emergency management, it's a really bad situation when something rapidly intensifies this quickly and is completely unexpected."

However, the "waters were anomalously warm," she observed.

For those reasons, authorities were concerned that Erick could be similarly damaging. Fortunately, as the Times reported, "It did not reach that strength, but the authorities reported some damage on Thursday morning as heavy rains battered the coastline. In Oaxaca State, a hospital, roads and electrical stations were among the damaged buildings. Landslides closed two highways, damaged homes and injured at least one man, according to emergency officials."

What's being done about extreme weather?

As hurricanes like Erick intensify in scale and scope, researchers are hard at work devising new weather modeling technology to better warn civilians of fast-changing storms.

Meteorologists have kept a close eye on hurricane season in 2025, predicting "above-average" activity despite a quiet start. Hurricane prediction and response in the United States could be limited due to cuts at NOAA and FEMA, leaving residents in storm-prone areas vulnerable.

At an individual level, hurricane preparedness is important, and it can make a massive difference, particularly when the intensity of a storm outstrips forecasts.

Preparing a "go bag" allows for faster evacuation during hurricane season. A hurricane kit is useful when evacuation isn't possible, and in the event of coastal flooding, always avoid dangerous floodwaters.

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