First hurricane of the pacific season makes landfall
The strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in May in the eastern Pacific swept ashore on a stretch of tourist beaches and fishing towns in southern Mexico on Monday. Torrential rains and howling winds from Hurricane Agatha whipped palm trees and drove tourists and residents into shelters in a region that is sparsely populated except for a handful of small communities along the shore. Agatha made landfall about 5 miles (10 kilometers) west of Puerto Angel as a strong Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph). But it quickly began losing strength as it moved inland. By evening, maximum sustained winds fell to 80 mph (130 kph). It was moving northeast at 8 mph (13 kph), heading toward the Gulf of Mexico, where its remnants might re-emerge.
