Update: Catastrophic Hurricane Patricia Blasting Through Mexico Weather.com
go to original October 20, 2015

Map: Where Hurricane Patricia is headed (Gene Thorp and Richard Johnson/The Washington Post)

Hurricane Patricia became the strongest hurricane ever known to make landfall on the Pacific coast of Mexico after the center of its eye crossed the coast of Jalisco state early Friday evening. Catastrophic damage is expected along a narrow path as the center of circulation slices into the interior of southwest Mexico overnight.

Earlier in the day, Patricia became the most powerful tropical cyclone ever measured in the Western Hemisphere as its maximum sustained winds reached an unprecedented 200 mph (320 kph) and its central pressure fell to 879 millibars (25.96 inches of mercury).

The 10 p.m. CDT advisory shows that Patricia has weakened to a Category 3 hurricane with 130 mph maximum sustained winds. Forward speed has increased to 20 mph, as the storm races off to the north-northeast.

At 6:15 p.m. CDT, the eye of Hurricane Patricia made landfall near Cuixmala in Jalisco state of southwest Mexico. Maximum sustained winds at landfall were estimated at 165 mph. While those were off from Patricia's extraordinary peak intensity, they still make Patricia a Category 5 hurricane capable of catastrophic wind damage in the immediate vicinity of the eye.

Read the rest at Weather.com

Related: Mexico Declares a State of Emergency for 7 Municipalities in the Yucatan Due to Flooding from 2 Consecutive Days of Rain (@AP_Noticias)

Related: Hurricanes Wreak Economic Havoc as World Warms (Climate News Network)

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