Strongest Hurricane Ever Recorded To Make Landfall On Mexico’s West Coast

On Thursday, meteorologists in the Pacific Ocean measured winds of 200 MPH at the center of Hurricane Patricia, making the storm the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded…anywhere on Earth.

Forecasters warn a “potentially catastrophic” event as the storm is likely to make landfall as a Category 5 storm “capable of causing widespread destruction,” Weather.com reported. Meteorologists think the storm could still strengthen more before hitting Mexico Friday evening.

In 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines with one-minute sustained winds of 195 MPH, breaking the record previously held by 1997’s Hurricane Linda, which packed winds of 185 MPH. Patricia’s 200 MPH one-minute sustained winds will now take its place atop the record books.

The only other Category 5 storm to make landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast was an October 1959 storm that caused more than 1,800 deaths and followed an eerily reminiscent path of Hurricane Patricia’s.

“Patricia is forecast to remain a Category 5 hurricane at landfall, making it capable of causing catastrophic wind damage,” according to the Weather.com report.

“Patricia is expected to dump 6 to 12 inches (150 to 300 millimeters) of rain over the Mexican states of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero. Life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides are possible. Localized amounts as high as 20 inches (500 millimeters) are possible.

“A dangerous storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding near and to the right of where the center of Patricia makes landfall. In addition, Mexico’s national water commission, CONAGUA, warned Thursday that waves of up to 12 meters (39 feet) may crash onto beaches near the landfall point.”

Hopefully, with the advanced warnings, the extent of the damage and people in the path of the storm can be diminished, but it still remains a dangerous situation for the local population.