Hurricane Patricia, the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, threatened southern Mexico’s Pacific Coast on Friday, with meteorologists warning that the storm was packing 200 mph winds and monster waves as it headed for landfall.
Hurricane Patricia, the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, threatened southern Mexico’s Pacific Coast on Friday, with meteorologists warning that the storm was packing 200 mph winds and monster waves as it headed for landfall.
Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the National Hurricane Center, said that it was a Category 5 storm, which means it was likely to inflict catastrophic damage and leave stricken areas uninhabitable for weeks or months.
On Friday, the storm was moving north at about 10 mph, but it was expected to move faster as it approached the coast, the National Hurricane Center advised. The storm was projected to make landfall in the late afternoon or early evening. After that, meteorologists were expecting it to weaken rapidly.
The World Meteorological Organization warned that the hurricane’s strength was comparable to that of Typhoon Haiyan, which caused devastation in the Philippines in 2013.
The city of Puerto Vallarta and some of Mexico’s most popular resorts are in the path of the storm. Flooding and landslides are expected near coastal areas, and officials are warning that storm surges could cause waves of up to 39 feet, according to The Weather Channel.
Tourists and residents in Puerto Vallarta awoke to a light drizzle Friday. By midmorning, there was an eerie calm.
Airports in Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta were closed, and buses roared out of stations bound for Guadalajara jammed with people racing ahead of the storm. But with no way out, many tourists prepared to hunker down and wait out the storm in hotel shelters. At the Grand Mayan Hotel, staff members prepared the service area farthest from the sea and told guests to report at 1 p.m.
As the storm approached, posts on Instagram showed people trying to leave Puerto Vallarta. One user posted a photograph of a message from a nearby resort that warned people to return home for their safety.
“If this is not possible, please wait for further instructions for a possible evacuation,” the notice read.
The government of Mexico has issued a tropical storm warning for the coast of Mexico north of San Blas to El Roblito. Luis Felipe Puente, Mexico’s civil defense coordinator, said on Twitter that states of emergency had been declared in the states of Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco.
© 2015 The New York Times Company