Hurricane Otis weakens to Category 4 storm as heavy rain batters southern Mexico

Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane early on Wednesday (Bernardino Hernandez/AP)

Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane early on Wednesday, bringing 165mph (270kmh) winds and heavy rain to Acapulco and surrounding towns, and stirring memories of a 1997 storm that killed dozens of people.

Now a Category 4 storm, the hurricane is expected to continue to weaken quickly in Guerrero state’s steep mountains, but the 5in (127mm) to 10in (254mm) of rain forecast, with as much as 15in (381mm) possible in some areas, raised the threat of landslides and floods.