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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