VIDEO: Exceptionally Dangerous Situation in Mexico as Patricia Is Strongest Hurricane Ever Recorded
With maximum sustained winds of 200 mph, Hurricane Patricia is set to make landfall on Mexico's Pacific Coast Friday. Forecasters warn that the monster Category 5 storm could be catastrophic.With maximum sustained winds of 200 mph, Hurricane Patricia is set to make landfall on Mexico’s Pacific Coast Friday. Forecasters warn that the monster Category 5 storm could be catastrophic.
From USA Today:
The Weather Channel reports:
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...A potentially catastrophic landfall is expected Friday evening as a very powerful and dangerous Hurricane Patricia moves toward Mexico’s Pacific coast. Hurricane Patricia on Friday morning became the most powerful tropical cyclone ever measured in the Western Hemisphere as its maximum sustained winds reached an unprecedented 200 mph (320 kph).
The hurricane is forecast to make landfall in the Mexican state of Jalisco on Friday evening as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane capable of causing widespread destruction. Residents and authorities in Mexico are rushing to prepare for what is likely to be the strongest hurricane to ever make landfall on that country’s Pacific coastline.
At 1 p.m. CDT, the eye of Hurricane Patricia was about 85 miles (135 kilometers) southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and was moving north at 10 mph (16 kph).
In addition to its unprecedented 200-mph (320-kph) sustained winds, Hurricane Patricia now holds the record for lowest pressure in any hurricane on record. With a minimum central pressure of 880 millibars (25.99 inches of mercury) at the 4 a.m. CDT advisory, Patricia broke the record of 882 millibars set by Wilma almost exactly 10 years ago. At the 1 p.m. CDT advisory the minimum central pressure was lowered to 879 millibars (25.96 inches of mercury).
Data from an Air Force Hurricane Hunter airborne reconnaissance mission late Thursday night provided critical data demonstrating the extreme intensification of Hurricane Patricia in near-real time. A new NOAA reconnaissance aircraft reached the eye of Patricia early Friday afternoon to gather additional direct measurements of the storm’s intensity.
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