English: Tropical Storm Otis first became a hurricane at 2:00 p.m. EDT on October 24, 2023, as it spun over the Pacific Ocean only 145 miles (235 km) south-southeast of Acapulco, Mexico. At that time, its maximum sustained winds were 80 mph (130 km/h). After a jaw-dropping rapid intensification, Otis became a catastrophic Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 km/h) only ten hours later—and it was located only 45 miles (70 km) away from Acapulco. Hurricane Otis maintained this strength as it screamed ashore at 2:25 a.m. EDT (1:25 local time) on October 25, becoming the strongest hurricane at landfall to strike Mexico’s Pacific Coast.

Acapulco, a popular tourist destination and home to almost 1 million people, suffered severe damage. Social media posts—many using the terms “destroyed” or “ripped apart”— show flooded streets, downed trees, and houses and hotels blown apart. CNN quoted Mexican President Andrés Manuel López as saying at a news conference, “In all of Acapulco there is not a standing [electric] pole”. More than 500,000 homes and businesses lost power. In addition, 27 people have been confirmed to have died due to the hurricane and 4 remain missing.

Once ashore, the fast-moving hurricane quickly weakened over inland mountains. At 5:00 p.m. EDT on October 25, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued its last bulletin on the storm as Otis had dissipated. At that time, the center of the remnants of Hurricane Otis were located about 165 miles (260 km) north-northwest of Acapulco and maximum sustained winds were 35 mph (55 km/h).

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the remnants of Hurricane Otis stretched over Mexico. Although winds were mild, the remnants brought rain over a wide area.