Hurricane Agatha strikes Mexico with sustained winds of 105 mph

Hurricane Agatha, one of the earliest and strongest hurricanes on record to strike North America from the Pacific, made landfall in Mexico on Monday afternoon, forecasters said.

The storm arrived at 4 p.m. CT, landing about 25 miles south-southeast of the surfing mecca Puerto Escondido, with sustained winds believed to be as strong as 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The tropical cyclone reached hurricane strength Sunday in the eastern North Pacific as it headed toward the Mexican Riviera, with the potential for flash flooding, heavy winds, mudslides and flooding expected, U.S. forecasters said.

In Puerto Escondido, residents boarded up windows and moved some boats from harm’s way in the hours before landfall.

“Thank God we still have time, and, as you can see, our colleagues are working to protect the boats,” said Rene Hernandez, a local fisherman. “We beg God for the hurricane not to be so strong.”

The storm nonetheless edited the record book, becoming the strongest May hurricane to make landfall on Mexico’s west coast since documentation began in earnest in 1949, according to the hurricane center.