Hurricane John grew into a powerful Category 4 storm today, threatening Mexican Pacific resorts with heavy rain and searing winds and blowing down trees in Acapulco.
Acapulco, home to some 1 million people, had sea surges of up to 10 feet, said Nadya Velas, spokeswoman for the civil protection agency in Guerrero state.
Emergency workers were on alert in Guerrero -- also home to the resorts of Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo -- as John trekked parallel with the coast. It packed winds close to 135 mph, with higher gusts.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center upgraded John to Category 4, the second-strongest hurricane grade and capable of extensive damage if it hits the coast directly.
John was moving slowly northwest parallel to the coast about about 95 miles south of the steel-making port of Lazaro Cardenas. A hurricane warning was in effect from Lazaro Cardenas to Cabo Corrientes, further northwest.
"While the center of John is forecast to remain just offshore, hurricane-force winds are still expected to reach the coast within the warning area," the hurricane center said.
Emergency workers were most worried about Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo and Manzanillo, which is popular with US and Canadian sailfish fishermen, as well as further up the coast in Colima state.