Mexico braces for Hurricane Patricia, now strongest hurricane on record
Authorities have declared a state of emergency and ordered schools closed as the hurricane is expected to bring flash floods and destructive waves.
An employee of a car rental company tapes up a glass door as he prepares for Hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico October 22, 2015. Hurricane Patricia strengthened into an "extremely dangerous" Category 5 storm late on Thursday as it churned toward Mexico's Pacific coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. The storm, which became a hurricane overnight, had maximum sustained winds of about 160 miles per hour (260 km per hour) as it moved toward the north-northwest at 10 mph (16 kph).
Henry Romero/Reuters
Mexico is scrambling to keep people safe as it waits for the landfall of Hurricane Patricia, now an 鈥榚xtremely dangerous鈥� Category 5 storm and the strongest ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, experts say.
Hurricane Patricia strengthened to shortly after midnight on Friday, with maximum sustained winds of nearly 200 mph, according to The Weather Channel.
It is the strongest storm ever recorded in the eastern Pacific or in the Atlantic, Dave Roberts, a hurricane specialist at the US National Hurricane Center, told The Associated Press.
To put things into perspective, experts are comparing the storm's power to that of聽Typhoon Haiyan,聽the devastating storm that killed more than 7,300 people in the Philippines two years ago.
Mexico has declared a for the dozens of municipalities expected to bear the brunt of the storm, which will 鈥渕ove onshore Friday night in the Mexican state of Jalisco, which includes the popular coastal resort city of Puerto Vallarta as well as the inland metropolis of Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city,鈥� The Weather Channel reports.
Experts say Patricia could cause coastal flooding, massive waves, and flash floods.聽
In the Mexican coastal state of Colima, schools were closed on Friday and officials passed out sandbags to help residents protect their homes from flooding. Residents across southwestern Mexico are taping up their homes and rushing to buy non-perishable food items and other supplies, according to the AP.
鈥淭his is an extremely dangerous, potentially catastrophic hurricane," Hurricane Center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen told the AP.
After it makes landfall, the storm is expected to extend its reach into Texas. Forecast models show that the remaining tropical moisture should add to the heavy rainfall already inundating the Lone Star State outside of Hurricane Patricia, Mr. Feltgen said.
"It's only going to make a bad situation worse," he added.
The National Hurricane Center anticipates聽Patricia will deliver six to 12 inches of rain, with up to 20 inches in some locations. That鈥檚 bad news for those in the Mexican city of Manzanillo, which 鈥渆nds up like an island鈥� when it experiences flooding, said one resident, Alejandra Rodriguez.
The Vallarta Yacht Club posted on its Facebook page Thursday morning cautioning its members to begin preparing for the hurricane.
鈥淚f there are things you need to do to protect your family, your home or your boat, TODAY IS THE DAY,鈥� it . 鈥淵ou might want to postpone that spa appointment.鈥�
This report contains material from The Associated Press.