Heavy rain and surf pelted the southern Mexican Pacific coast Wednesday, as Hurricane Pauline spun toward land packing 115 mph winds.
Landfall for what hurricane experts called a "very dangerous" storm was expected this evening somewhere along the Oaxaca or Guerrero state coast.Oaxaca state authorities set up 75 emergency shelters and federal officials closed six major ports between Acapulco and Puerto Madero, Chiapas, on the country's southwestern Pacific coast.
Lawn chairs, kayaks and surfboards were cleared from the beaches as Pauline approached. For some tourists in this resort area, the looming storm was too much.
"I'm going to bail out before it gets here," said Jim Ferguson, a 43-year-old software designer from Glen Ellyn, Ill. "I'm not going to sit around for 100 mph winds to get here. I'm on vacation."
The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted Pauline - which was about 85 miles offshore Wednesday morning - would remain strong as it moved northwest at 6 mph. The current course indicates the hurricane might make a landfall near Puerto Angel.
Hurricane-force winds spread out up to 35 miles from the eye of the storm, and tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 115 miles.
In Santa Cruz, Red Cross workers set up two shelters, but didn't expect anyone to take advantage of them. "We just want to be prepared in case," said area Red Cross coordinator Radames Argente Estrada.