Agatha's first hurricane of the season has pounded a line of beach resorts on Mexico's Pacific Coast with strong winds, heavy rain, and flood warnings.

Agatha was the most potent May storm to make landfall along Mexico's Pacific coast since 1949, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Monday.

It made landfall at Puerto Angel in the southern state of Oaxaca as a Category 2 storm, the second-lowest category on a five-point scale.

The NHC said Agatha later fell to a Category 1 storm but still possessed maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour.

"As the hurricane advances inland, a rapid weakening is expected. Agatha is expected to weaken to a tropical storm tonight and fade late Tuesday over southeastern Mexico "it said.

According to the civil protection coordinator for the Milenio television station, Oscar Valencia, small landslides were recorded in parts of Oaxaca.

As Agatha reached the shore, residents stockpiled food and water and boarded their homes and businesses.

The region's seaports were closed, and airlines canceled flights to the area.

Authorities opened over 200 storm shelters with space for up to 26,800 people, while hotels housed 5,200 domestic and international tourists in the risk zone.

"We are currently on high alert. This is imminent and it is imminent with force "As the storm approached, Roberto Castillo, a civil protection official in Huatulco, told the AFP news agency.

Flooding and mudslides are possible.

A hurricane warning was issued for a length of coastline that included Puerto Escondido and other surf towns popular with Mexican and foreign tourists, resulting in the desolation of beaches that are regularly crowded with visitors.

The NHC stated that "Storm surge is expected to produce extremely dangerous coastal flooding" accompanied by "large and destructive waves,"

"Agatha will produce life-threatening surf and rip current conditions over portions of southern Mexico through Tuesday night," according to the forecast.

The NHC said that in Oaxaca and adjoining Chiapas, "life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides may occur,"

The region is home to several significant rivers, and the Mexican meteorological office has issued a warning about potential floods and landslides.

Tropical storms between May and November frequently ravage both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Mexico.

The worst storm to strike Mexico in 2016 was Grace, a Category 3 hurricane that killed 11 people in August in the eastern states of Veracruz and Puebla.