Hurricane Grace makes landfall near Mexico's Tulum temples
ABC News
Hurricane Grace has made landfall in Mexico, just south of the ancient Mayan temples of Tulum
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico -- Hurricane Grace struck Mexico's Caribbean coast just south of the ancient Mayan temples of Tulum early Thursday, pushing a dangerous storm surge. Heavy rain and strong winds threatened 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 center struck just south of Tulum at 4:45 a.m. CDT with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kmh), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. As it moved over land, the storm weakened slightly, but remained at hurricane strength early Thursday. It was moving west across the peninsula at 17 mph (28 kmh) and was located about 45 miles (70 kilometers) south-southeast of Valladolid, Mexico. The storm was forecast to re-emerge over the Gulf of Mexico Thursday night into Friday.More Related News