Hurricane Patricia: Strongest Storm Ever Measured to Hit Mexico
by Gaius Publius
This can’t be good:
Hurricane Patricia became the strongest storm ever measured on the planet early Friday, with experts warning it could trigger 40-foot waves along Mexico’s coast and “life-threatening” flash flooding.
More than 7 million residents were told to prepare for the “worst-case scenario” as Patricia was expected to race ashore on Mexico’s Pacific coast between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET Friday. The tourist magnets of Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo were directly in the Category 5 storm’s projected path.
Packing 200 mph winds, the U.S. National Hurricane Center described Patricia as the “strongest hurricane on record” in the Atlantic and eastern North Pacific Basins. …
NBC News meteorologist Bill Karins warned that Patricia would be “the most devastating storm to ever hit Mexico” with “catastrophic damage” likely between the posh resort of Puerto Vallarta and the bustling port city of Manzanillo.
For comparison:
Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the Philippines in 2013, made landfall with 190 mph winds. Patricia is poised to surpass that record, Karins said.
Does the obvious need saying?
GP
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