“Zombie Hurricane John Returns, Lashing Mexico’s Pacific Coast” By Reuters

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Hurricane John has intensified again as it brings heavy rainfall to Mexico’s southwestern coast, an area already saturated by the slow-moving storm in recent days.

Since Monday, John has been swirling ominously near the coastline, fluctuating in strength as it has affected major cargo ports, temporarily closed local airports, and resulted in at least five fatalities, primarily due to mudslides.

AccuWeather meteorologist Jesse Ferrell described John as a "zombie" storm—a term for systems that weaken but then regain strength. This terminology was popularized by the U.S. National Weather Service in 2020 when the remnants of storm Paulette reformed near the Azores after affecting Bermuda.

Hurricane Ivan, which occurred in 2004 and lasted nearly a month, similarly wreaked havoc in the Caribbean before re-emerging and hitting the United States, causing approximately $26 billion in damages that year.

Christopher Rozoff, an atmospheric scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, explained that John’s slow movement and lack of significant steering forces make it susceptible to reintensification, potentially leading to further devastation for the Mexican coastline with extreme rainfall.

By Thursday evening, John had maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (121 kph) and was moving northwest, just off the coast of Michoacan state. The U.S. National Hurricane Center advised that the storm is expected to remain a hurricane while continuing along the coast and possibly moving inland, with heavy rains persisting at least through Saturday.

A hurricane warning is in effect for much of Michoacan’s coastline and parts of neighboring Guerrero, where John impacted earlier in the week, uprooting trees, causing power outages for tens of thousands, and triggering deadly landslides that destroyed homes.

Guerrero state Governor Evelyn Salgado urged residents on Thursday morning to take all necessary precautions, following a rising tide that battered beachfront restaurants in Acapulco, one of the state’s premier resort areas, and flooded nearby roads. Acapulco is still in recovery from significant damage from Hurricane Otis last year.

Warnings have been issued regarding the potential for significant and life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides due to extensive rainfall.

AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert, Alex DaSilva, noted that both John and Otis rapidly intensified because of warm sea temperatures, with some areas where John developed reaching nearly 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit), providing ample fuel for storms.

Rowan University meteorologist Andra Garner suggested that the warm waters likely facilitated John’s reformation after its first landfall. DaSilva added that it is "very likely" we will see rising sea surface temperatures in the future, which could result in more frequent episodes of rapid storm intensification.