Two fatalities reported following Hurricane Erick’s historic landfall in Oaxaca, Mexico
At least two people were reported dead following Hurricane Erick’s historic landfall over the coast of Oaxaca on June 19, 2025. Heavy rains associated with the storm triggered floods and landslides across multiple Mexican states, causing widespread damage and leaving around 276 000 without power in Guerrero and Oaxaca alone.
Civil operatives clearing out trees downed by Hurricane Erick in Mexico on June 19, 2025. Credit: CFEMX
At least two fatalities were confirmed in Oaxaca and Guerrero as Hurricane Erick brought heavy rainfall and strong winds to the states. Authorities reported landslides, blocked highways, downed power lines, and significant flooding in affected areas.
A man was electrocuted while assisting with debris removal in southern Oaxaca, while handling high-voltage cables near a stream.
A one-year-old child was reported deceased in Guerrero after being swept away by a swollen stream while his mother attempted to carry him across in the town of San Marcos, according to civil protection authorities.
¡Nada nos detiene!
— CFEmx (@CFEmx) June 19, 2025
Aunque el camino es complicado, trabajadores de la CFE avanzan de Ometepec a Pinotepa Nacional para revisar líneas afectadas y seguir con el restablecimiento del servicio eléctrico.#HuracánErick #TemporadaDeHuracanes pic.twitter.com/OpJ479qURE
Erick made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing maximum sustained winds of up to 201 km/h (125 mph) to the region. It weakened into a post-tropical system as it moved inland, with wind speeds decreasing to 80 km/h (50 mph). Coastal waves reached heights of up to 10 m (33 feet) in some locations.
Coastal communities in Oaxaca, including Lagunas de Chacahua, home to approximately 2 800 people, were directly impacted by the storm, which destroyed thatched roofs and flooded streets.
Today: Cruz Grande, Guerrero, Mexico
— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) June 19, 2025
Major flooding caused by Hurricane Erick. pic.twitter.com/q8IJPyW1p2
#HurricaneErick makes landfall in southern #Mexico as a Category 3 storm, bringing life-threatening rainfall, flooding, and high winds
— Earth42morrow (@Earth42morrow) June 19, 2025
VC: Martín Ordaz#Hurricane #Storm #Oaxaca #Huracan #Wind #Rain #Flood #Climate #Weather #Viral pic.twitter.com/CSB2NaYwLx
Approximately 200 residents were evacuated due to flooding in Pinotepa Nacional. Around 50 houses were damaged in Punta Maldonado.
Roofs were torn from homes, and a building collapsed onto a vehicle in Ometpec, while several communities in the municipality were isolated due to landslides.
In the tourist town of Puerto Escondido, residents and emergency crews drained flooded streets and removed debris after the storm knocked down trees and street signs and buried boats under sand on the beach. Much of the town, with a population of about 30 000, was left without electricity or cell phone service.
Two hospitals sustained damage and their power supply was compromised, according to Laura Velazquez, head of Mexico’s civil protection agency. State-owned utility CFE reported that over 276 000 customers lost power in Oaxaca and Guerrero, with service restored to 51 % by late Thursday.
Erick is the earliest fifth named storm on record in the Eastern Pacific basin, surpassing the June 25 mark set by Hurricane Enrique in 2021.
Erick became a hurricane on June 18, nearly one month earlier than the average formation date for the season’s second hurricane, which is July 15.
The system also became the earliest major hurricane on record to make landfall on either the Pacific or Atlantic coasts of Mexico. The previous Pacific record was held by Hurricane Kiko, which made landfall on August 26, 1989. Before Erick, no major hurricane had made landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast earlier in the season than August.
Meteorologists Jeff Masters and Bob Henson of Yale University described Erick as one of the fastest-intensifying hurricanes on record. In 24 hours, its maximum sustained winds increased by 129 km/h (80 mph), reaching Category 4 strength just hours before landfall.
“Only 15 of 1 250 tropical storms on record in the eastern Pacific since 1949 have undergone such a rapid intensification,” said Masters.
As of 21:00 CST on June 19 (03:00 UTC, on June 20), the system had weakened into a tropical low located approximately 152 km (95 miles) northwest of Acapulco. It had maximum sustained winds of 48 km/h (30 mph), was moving northwest at 21 km/h (13 mph), and had a minimum central pressure of 1 006 hPa.
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