Saturday, October 24, 2015

Hurricane Patricia Hits Coast of Mexico- Detail Report







Hurricane Patricia Mexico

Hurricane Patricia has become the strongest hurricane ever measured in the Pacific. Meteorologist Danielle Banks takes a look at some video from Manzanillo, Mexico, as it makes landfall.

Hurricane Patricia made landfall Friday evening near Cuixmala, Mexico, 55 miles west-northwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 165 miles per hour.

The southern coast of Mexico has already seen swells generated by Patricia that will spread northwestward during the next day or so, according to an advisory from the National Hurricane Center. These swells are likely to create surf and rip current conditions that could be life-threatening.

Prior to Patricia's arrival, Mexican authorities declared a state of emergency and warned residents to prepare. The state of emergency was issued for 56 municipalities who are projected to face Patricia's wrath, the Associated Press reported. The municipalities are located in Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco states.

"We need people to understand the magnitude of the hurricane, it is a devastating hurricane, the biggest one ever registered," Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio told Mexico’s Radio Formula Friday morning, via the AP.

vacuations were made in the areas expected to be hit hardest by Patricia and more than 200 people were gathered the convention center in Puerto Vallarta for buses to take them to a safe location before the arrival of Hurricane Patricia, AP reports. Due to a miscommunication, several hotels sent their guests to the center ahead of the storm. The center was not prepared to take them in and the large glass panels on the building could become deadly in the high winds of the storm.

Sirens have been sounded along the coastline to warn residents and tourists that they need to evacuate, according to Ian Hayden Parker, a former resident of Atlanta, Georgia, who has lived in Puerto Vallarta for the past 10 years.



"Currently, my focus for Vallarta Daily is to get the word out about this storm," he told The Weather Channel. "For many of us connected, it’s hard to imagine people still would not be informed, but it’s true. We live in a resort town, but outside of the tourist zone, there is still a lot of poverty and people without computers, Internet, or phones. So this is an ongoing concern."

At CellMex Medical Clinic in Puerto Vallarta, medical staff are moving patients into the safest rooms of the hospital and advising all non-life-threatening patients to stay home, Dr. Giorgio Patino told weather.com in an email.

Southwest Airlines said on its website that flights into and out of Puerto Vallarta from Friday through Sunday can be rescheduled.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami warned citizens in the path of the storm that preparations should be rushed to completion with landfall just hours away.



"This is an extremely dangerous, potentially catastrophic hurricane," center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen told the AP.

In Manzanillo, residents stocked up on non-perishables at a Wal-Mart. One of those shoppers was Alejandra Rodriguez, who bought 10 liters of milk, a large jug of water and canned foods while shopping with her mother and brother. Manzanillo's "main street really floods and cuts access to a lot of other streets. It ends up like an island," she told the AP.



Schools will close in Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit states in anticipation of Patricia's arrival, according to Mexico's civil defense coordinator, Luis Felipe Puente, the AP said.

"The neighborhood leaders have come for sacks to fill with sand," Luz Adriana Limon Rojas of Colima state's civil defense agency told the AP.

Mexico's national water commission, CONAGUA, reports that the government has 1,782 temporary shelters available in the states of Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco with a combined capacity of more than 258,000 people.

The Vallarta Yacht Club posted a message on its Facebook page Thursday morning warning members that hurricane preparations need to start now.

“If there are things you need to do to protect your family, your home or your boat, TODAY IS THE DAY. You might want to postpone that spa appointment.”

Andy Barrow, On-the-Water Director for the club, told The Weather Channel that the Banderas Bay area is generally pretty sheltered from hurricane damage, but locals in Puerto Vallarta are nevertheless "taking down outside structures that might blow away, making sure boats are well tied, and canceling on-the-water events for this coming weekend.

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office has updated their website for travelers to Mexico, indicating that Hurricane Patricia is forecast to bring hazardous sea and weather conditions to parts of the west coast starting Friday.




Hurricane Patricia Strongest in Recorded History Hits Mexico

Hurricane Patricia Strongest in Recorded History Hits Mexico




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 eye slices into the interior of southwest Mexico Friday night.



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).



(MORE: Mexico Prepares for Patricia)



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.



In addition to its unprecedented 200-mph (320-kph) sustained winds earlier Friday, 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.



Unprecedented Among Pacific Hurricanes

Hurricane Patricia became the strongest Pacific hurricane on record shortly after midnight CDT early Friday. Air Force Hurricane Hunters had flown through the eye of Patricia and reported a sea-level pressure of 894 millibars as measured by a dropsonde inside the eye itself. Wind measurements suggested that the pressure measurement was not in the exact center of the eye and was probably not the absolute lowest pressure, prompting NHC to estimate the minimum central pressure at 892 millibars in its special 12:30 a.m. CDT advisory.



Current Wind Reports and Enhanced Satellite

Current Wind Reports and Enhanced Satellite

Current wind reports at selected cities in Mexico. Some sites do not report at all times of day. Enhanced satellite imagery shows the cloud pattern in and around the hurricane.

Tropical cyclone strength comparisons are typically based on minimum central pressure. At 892 millibars, Patricia shattered the Eastern Pacific basin's previous record of 902 millibars set by Hurricane Linda in 1997.



While a number of typhoons in the western North Pacific have been stronger, Patricia is by far the strongest hurricane in any basin where the term "hurricane" applies to tropical cyclones – namely, the central and eastern North Pacific basins and the North Atlantic basin, which includes the North Atlantic Ocean itself plus the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.



Exceptionally Dangerous Situation in Mexico

At 7 p.m. CDT, the center of Hurricane Patricia was 50 miles (85 km) west-northwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, or 135 miles (220 km) southwest of Guadalajara, Mexico. The eye is moving north-northeast at 15 mph (24 kph).



Maximum sustained winds were 160 mph (260 kph), meaning Patricia remains a Category 5 hurricane capable of catastrophic wind damage.



The eye of Patricia will continue to push inland through the state of Jalisco on a path that should keep it just east of the popular coastal resort city of Puerto Vallarta and just west of the inland metropolis of Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city. The eye or eyewall may also affect southeastern portions of the state of Nayarit and the western and northern parts of Zacatecas state later Friday night.



(MAP: Track Hurricane Patricia with Our New Interactive Storm Tracker)



The adjoining states of Colima and Nayarit will also feel some effects of Hurricane Patricia, mainly in the form of heavy rainfall, flooding and possibly mudslides. Dangerous storm surge and large, battering ocean waves breaking onshore are also dangers near the landfall point, but those will subside as the storm moves inland.


Hurricane Patricia Hits Mexico- Stunning Satellite Footage

Hurricane Patricia Hits Mexico- Stunning Satellite Footage




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 eye slices into the interior of southwest Mexico Friday night.



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).



(MORE: Mexico Prepares for Patricia)



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.



In addition to its unprecedented 200-mph (320-kph) sustained winds earlier Friday, 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.



Unprecedented Among Pacific Hurricanes

Hurricane Patricia became the strongest Pacific hurricane on record shortly after midnight CDT early Friday. Air Force Hurricane Hunters had flown through the eye of Patricia and reported a sea-level pressure of 894 millibars as measured by a dropsonde inside the eye itself. Wind measurements suggested that the pressure measurement was not in the exact center of the eye and was probably not the absolute lowest pressure, prompting NHC to estimate the minimum central pressure at 892 millibars in its special 12:30 a.m. CDT advisory.



Current Wind Reports and Enhanced Satellite

Current Wind Reports and Enhanced Satellite

Current wind reports at selected cities in Mexico. Some sites do not report at all times of day. Enhanced satellite imagery shows the cloud pattern in and around the hurricane.

Tropical cyclone strength comparisons are typically based on minimum central pressure. At 892 millibars, Patricia shattered the Eastern Pacific basin's previous record of 902 millibars set by Hurricane Linda in 1997.



While a number of typhoons in the western North Pacific have been stronger, Patricia is by far the strongest hurricane in any basin where the term "hurricane" applies to tropical cyclones – namely, the central and eastern North Pacific basins and the North Atlantic basin, which includes the North Atlantic Ocean itself plus the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.



Exceptionally Dangerous Situation in Mexico

At 7 p.m. CDT, the center of Hurricane Patricia was 50 miles (85 km) west-northwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, or 135 miles (220 km) southwest of Guadalajara, Mexico. The eye is moving north-northeast at 15 mph (24 kph).



Maximum sustained winds were 160 mph (260 kph), meaning Patricia remains a Category 5 hurricane capable of catastrophic wind damage.



The eye of Patricia will continue to push inland through the state of Jalisco on a path that should keep it just east of the popular coastal resort city of Puerto Vallarta and just west of the inland metropolis of Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city. The eye or eyewall may also affect southeastern portions of the state of Nayarit and the western and northern parts of Zacatecas state later Friday night.



(MAP: Track Hurricane Patricia with Our New Interactive Storm Tracker)



The adjoining states of Colima and Nayarit will also feel some effects of Hurricane Patricia, mainly in the form of heavy rainfall, flooding and possibly mudslides. Dangerous storm surge and large, battering ocean waves breaking onshore are also dangers near the landfall point, but those will subside as the storm moves inland.

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