Category 5 Hurricane Otis Was Mexico's Record-Costliest Tropical Cyclone, NHC Report Says

Hurricane Otis was the costliest tropical cyclone on record in Mexico, just one of the stunning findings in a final report released Thursday from NOAA's National Hurricane Center.

T​he staggering cost: Category 5 Hurricane Otis inflicted $12 billion to $16 billion in damage when it slammed into Acapulco, Mexico, in the early morning hours of Oct. 25, 2023, according to the NHC citing estimates from risk analysis and reinsurance companies.

T​hat makes Otis Mexico's costliest weather disaster, far above an inflation-adjusted $7.5 billion damage figure from Hurricane Wilma in 2005, according to a mid-January post on Yale Climate Connections by hurricane expert Jeff Masters.

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T​he incredible destruction: The sheer scale of the damage in this city of about 1 million residents and the surrounding area was also mind-blowing. According to the NHC report:

-​ Over 98% of homes and around 80% of Acapulco's hotels were damaged.

-​ More than 51,000 homes were destroyed and another 80,000 seriously damaged in Mexico's Guerrero state.

-​ More than 5,800 businesses were damaged.

-​ More than 100 health clinics and at least two hospitals were damaged.

A​ still unknown death toll: Officially, according to the Mexican government, 52 deaths were directly attributed to Otis, with another 32 missing. However, the NHC noted that the actual toll "could be much greater but is still unknown" at the time the report was released.

G​iven Otis' historic destruction in Acapulco, it's likely a committee of the World Meteorological Organization will retire the name "Otis" from use for any storms going forward when they convene in March. That would be the first time an Eastern Pacific name has been retired since 2015's record-setting Hurricane Patricia.

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A​n over 200 mph wind gust: The NHC report reiterated a peak wind gust of 205 mph was measured by instruments along the northwest side of Acapulco Bay. As senior meteorologist Chris Dolce wrote after the observation came to light, this gust from Otis was among the strongest wind speeds recorded on Earth.

Record intense Eastern Pacific landfall: Otis was the first known Category 5 landfall in the Eastern Pacific Basin, with estimated winds of 160 mph when it moved ashore. Prior to Otis, Acapulco had only had 10 hurricanes track within 70 miles of the city since 1971, all at Category 1 strength by their closest pass.

Off the charts, unexpected rapid intensification: Otis rocketed from a tropical storm to Category 5 hurricane from 1 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 24. This 105 mph wind speed increase in just 21 hours trailed only the aforementioned 2015 Hurricane Patricia's 120 mph in 24 hours for most explosive growth on record in the Eastern Pacific Basin.

A​s we covered in a previous piece, this hurricane going berserk was not well forecast and was a nightmare scenario for emergency managers, government officials and residents in its path.

T​he NHC wrote, "The in-situ datasets collected by the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters were crucial for forecasters to recognize that none of the models had an accurate representation of Otis’ intensity and structure."

O​tis was a precautionary tale: All hurricanes are dangerous at landfall. Monitor for potential changes and updates to the forecast. Heed all evacuation recommendations and orders from local emergency managers.

B​ut before that happens, develop or refresh your hurricane plan, assuming this could be the year a hurricane threatens your area.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. His lifelong love of meteorology began with a close encounter with a tornado as a child in Wisconsin. He completed a Bachelor's degree in physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then a Master's degree working with dual-polarization radar and lightning data at Colorado State University. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on X (formerly Twitter), Threads, Facebook and Bluesky.

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