Tropical Storm John, which crawled slowly along Mexico's Pacific Coast on Friday, has now accumulated more rain in the four days since it hit the state where the major beach resort Acapulco is located than the torrential downpour of last year's destructive Hurricane Otis.

Alejandra Mendez of Mexico's National Meteorological Service told reporters Friday that since Monday, more than 37" (95 cm) of rain has fallen in southern Guerrero, which is home to Acapulco.

Mendez noted that the accumulated rainfall in Guerrero during last year's hurricane Otis was less than 35 centimeters (14 inches).

Otis accelerated rapidly as it slammed into Acapulco with winds of Category 5. John, on the other hand, has been moving much more slowly as it oscillates between tropical storm and Hurricane status, saturating Mexico's southwest coast.

Officials have blamed John for at least five deaths. All of them occurred in Guerrero, and the majority were in the mountainous interior of the state, inland from Acapulco, which is susceptible to landslides.

In an advisory issued on Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that the storm could cause "catastrophic flooding and mudslides" as it follows the coast.

John is located about 55 miles (89 kilometers) west of Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacan State, north of Guerrero. It's churning towards the northwest with a speed of only 3 miles per hours (5 kph), says the Miami-based weather forecaster. (Reporting and editing by David Alire Garcia, Diego Ore)

(source: Reuters)