People stand on the beach after Hurricane Otis' arrival alert in Acapulco, Guerrero state, Mexico on Oct 24, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

ACAPULCO, Mexico - Hurricane Otis reached Mexico's southern coast on Wednesday, with damaging hurricane winds from the now Category 4 storm spreading inland over beach resorts of Acapulco, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The hurricane, downgraded from Category 5 earlier in the day, reached land near Acapulco and is moving into Southern Mexico, bringing heavy rainfall and flash flooding with hurricane-force winds, the latest NHC advisory said.

The storm could bring up to 51 cm of rain in parts of Guerrero and Oaxaca states, with the possibility of flash floods and mudslides, a "potentially catastrophic" storm surge, and "life-threatening" surf and rip current conditions, authorities said.

ALSO READ: 1 dead as Hurricane Lidia slams Mexico coast, barrels inland

Mexico's national water agency CONAGUA warned of six-to-eight-meter surf off Guerrero - home to Acapulco - and parts of Oaxaca.

This AFP graphic dated Oct 25, 2023 shows the map with projected path of Hurricane Otis with an expected landfall early Wednesday.

Otis is about 40.23 km north-northwest of Acapulco and blowing maximum sustained winds of 215 kph, the Miami-based NHC added.

In Guerrero, authorities were preparing storm shelters, and the national guard said it was helping to prepare for rescues and evacuations.

Mexico's National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC) said power outages are being reported throughout Guerrero due to the hurricane.

The defense ministry enacted a disaster plan ahead of the storm's arrival, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on social media late on Tuesday, as soldiers patrolled Acapulco's emptying beaches.

READ MORE: Category 3 Hurricane Roslyn makes landfall in Mexico

Schools across Guerrero canceled classes for Wednesday ahead of Otis' arrival, Governor Evelyn Salgado said on social media.