Hurricane Zeta, the 27th named storm in a very busy Atlantic season, made landfall on the Caribbean coast of the eastern Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico late on Monday while lashing the resorts around Tulum with rain and wind.
The US National Hurricane Centre said Zeta came ashore just north of Tulum with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
Quintana Roo state governor Carlos Joaquin had warned ‘nobody should be on the streets … you shouldn’t go out anymore’ until the hurricane passed.
A satellite image of Hurricane Zeta which mas made landfall along the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico just north of Tulum with estimated maximum winds of 80mph
Storm Zeta is likely move on for a possible landfall on the central U.S. Gulf Coast at midweek. Storm path pictured above
Clouds gather over Playa Gaviota Azul as Tropical Storm Zeta approaches Cancun, Mexico, on Monday
Zeta was predicted to lose some power while crossing the peninsula, before regaining hurricane strength in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday while heading for the central US Gulf Coast and a likely landfall on Wednesday night.
The Hurricane Centre wrote on Twitter: ‘Hurricane Zeta makes landfall along the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico just north of Tulum with estimated maximum winds of 80 mph.’
Oil producers on Monday shut offshore production and pulled workers off platforms in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico as the storm strengthened into a hurricane and took aim at the Gulf Coast.
Surfers walk along Playa Gaviota Azul as Tropical Storm Zeta approaches Cancun. A strengthening Tropical Storm Zeta became a hurricane Monday as it heads toward the eastern end of Mexico’s resort-dotted Yucatan Peninsula and then likely move on for a possible landfall on the central U.S. Gulf Coast at midweek
A person bathes on a beach in the city of Cancun in the state of Quintana Roo. The coasts of the Mexican Caribbean have been placed on a red alert in the face of tropical storm Zeta
Members of a religious group gather at the beach as Hurricane Zeta approaches, in Cancun, Mexico
Lifeguards place a red flag on the beach to warn beachgoers of hazards due to the proximity of Hurricane Zeta, in Cancun, Mexico October 26
A man rides his bicycle while palm trees sway in the wind as Hurricane Zeta approaches, in Cancun
BP, Chevron and Equinor ASA evacuated platforms and halted production, spokespeople said, as Zeta steamed toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The hurricane is forecast to sweep across the resort area and churn through Gulf of Mexico oilfields.
Energy producers shut 16%, or 293,656 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and 6% of natural gas output, or 162.57 million cubic feet per day, the U.S. offshore energy regulator said.
Zeta was 90 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, packing maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour at 4 pm CDT. It could approach the northern Gulf Coast at or near hurricane strength on Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
BHP Group Ltd also withdrew staff from its U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore facilities, and Royal Dutch Shell paused drilling and limited staff movement to its platforms. Shell has not halted production, it said in a statement.
Fishermen take a boat off the water as Hurricane Zeta approaches, in Cancun, Mexico
Fishermen prepare to take their boats off the water as Hurricane Zeta approaches, in Cancun, Mexico October 26
View of a beach in the city of Cancun in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The coasts of the Mexican Caribbean have been placed on a red alert in the face of tropical storm Zeta, which according to forecasts will make landfall in the next few hours as a hurricane
Occidental Petroleum Corp., the third-largest producer in the offshore Gulf of Mexico, was taking steps to prepare facilities in the storm’s path.
It has been a challenging year for Gulf of Mexico oil and gas producers, with companies withdrawing workers and halting output at least six times as storms churned through.
A hurricane watch was posted from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Mississippi-Alabama border.
Quintana Roo state officials reported nearly 60,000 tourists in the state as of midweek.
A worker installs a tarpaulin at the entrance of a beach club in preparation for the arrival of Tropical Storm Zeta in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on Monday
A general view shows a beach closed due to the proximity of Hurricane Zeta, in Cancun, Mexico October 26
Beach hotel workers cover doors and windows with plywood as they prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Zeta in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
They said 71 shelters were readied for tourists or residents who might need them, though the governor said he hoped it would not be necessary to move guests out of their hotels.
Zeta broke the record for the previous earliest 27th Atlantic named storm that formed on November 29 2005. It is also the 11th hurricane of the season. An average season brings six hurricanes and 12 named storms.
There have been so many storms this season that the hurricane centre had to turn to the Greek alphabet after running out of assigned names.
Zeta is the furthest into the Greek alphabet the Atlantic season has gone.