John remains a major hurricane despite weakening after southern Mexico landfall

Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Hurricane John remained a major storm early Tuesday, despite rapid weakening after making landfall as a Category 3 system along Mexico's Pacific coast hours earlier. Forecasters are warning southern Mexico of "life-threatening winds, storm surge and flash flooding."

The storm moved inland with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph at about 9:15 p.m. CST along the southern coast of Mexico, just southwest of Marquelia in the state of Guerrero, according to the National Hurricane Center.

In its 12 a.m. CST Tuesday update, the forecasters located the storm about 60 miles northwest of Punta Maldonado and 45 miles east of Acapulco.

As expected, it had weakened while traveling inland, with winds reaching 100 mph at midnight, dropping it to a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

The storm was still slow moving, heading north-northwest at 8 mph.

About 20 minutes before landfall, forecasters warned that Mexico's southwestern coast was being inundated with damaging hurricane-force winds, a life-threatening storm surge and flash flooding.

In its early Tuesday update, those conditions were still present.

A hurricane warning was in effect for areas east of Acapulco to Lagunas de Chacahua.

John is forecast to continue moving inland over southern Mexico on Tuesday and is expected to experience rapid weakening as it does so. However, it is expected to drench southern Mexico.

"Slow-moving Hurricane John will bring very heavy rainfall to coastal portions of southwest Mexico through the upcoming week," a NHC discussion on the storm states. "This heavy rainfall will likely cause significant and possibly catastrophic, life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides to the Mexican States of Chiapas, Oaxaca and southeast Guerrero, particularly in areas near the coast."

Between 6 and 12 inches of rain, with isolated totals of 15 inches, are predicted for across coastal Chiapas. Some areas along and near the Oaxaca coast to southeast Guerrero are expected to receive between 10 and 20 inches of rainfall, with isolated totals to reach as much as 30 inches.

President Andrés Manuel of Mexico warned citizens two hours before landfall via social media to "seek higher ground, protect yourselves and do not forget that life is the most important thing; material things can be replaced."