Caribbean getaway Cancun has shuttered shops and evacuated tourists from beach hotels as authorities prepare for the onslaught of potentially devastating hurricane Delta.
The Category 4 storm is poised to tear across Mexico's Yucatan peninsula on Wednesday.
It is due to hit the coast in the early hours and sweep over Cancun before turning north and bearing down on the US states of Texas and Louisiana later this week.
One of the strongest hurricanes to threaten Cancun in years, Delta's arrival is a blow to efforts to revive tourism in the surrounding beach-lined state of Quintana Roo, where the industry has been battered by coronavirus.
"I want to go home, this is crazy," said Dee Harris, a 29-year-old from Michigan who came to Cancun with his partner and had been due to leave before the storm led to the cancellation of their flight.
"The vacation was good before this."
Delta is also disrupting the oil industry, with companies shutting down offshore production platforms and withdrawing workers.
Late on Tuesday, Delta was about 220 km east-southeast of the island of Cozumel, blowing maximum sustained winds of 210 km/, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Barreling briskly northwest at 126 km/h, Delta was expected to pass through Quintana Roo in 10-14 hours, state governor Carlos Joaquin said.
"Hopefully, that speed means it won't do us so much damage," he told Mexican radio.
Slow-moving hurricanes are often more destructive than those with faster lateral movement because they have more time to unleash their force.
Delta is expected to lose some power over the peninsula before gathering strength again in the Gulf of Mexico.
On Tuesday, residents queued at supermarkets to stock up on provisions in anticipation of disruptions, while the state government readied shelters that need extra space due to social-distancing requirements.
Officials ordered the evacuation of Cancun's hotel zone and other coastal areas, while shop workers boarded up windows.
Water levels could rise by up to 4 metres over normal tide conditions, the NHC said.
The Yucatan peninsula took a hit last weekend from Hurricane Gamma, a smaller storm that damaged property and forced restaurants and other attractions to close.
Australian Associated Press
