Hurricane Grace hits Mexico near Tulum

The storm causes widespread power outages on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Hurricane Grace has struck Mexico’s Caribbean coast just south of the ancient Mayan temples of Tulum, pushing a dangerous storm surge. Heavy rain and strong winds threaten to destroy flimsier homes and keep tourists off white sand beaches until it crosses the Yucatan Peninsula. The Category 1 storm had already soaked earthquake-damaged Haiti, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands en route to a direct hit on the Riviera Maya, the heart of Mexico’s tourism industry. Grace’s centre struck just south of Tulum at 4:45am (9:45 GMT) on Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 130kmph (80mph), according to the US National Hurricane Center. As it moved over land, Grace weakened to a tropical storm on Thursday morning with 100kmph (65mph) sustained winds. It was moving west across the peninsula at 30kmph (18mph) and was located about 130km (85 miles) west of Tulum.