Hurricane Patricia Eyewitness Survivor: ‘It was Like Being in a Tornado Basically’

By Published on October 25, 2015

Just 30 hours after peaking in intensity as the most powerful tropical cyclone ever measured in the Western Hemisphere, former Hurricane Patricia degenerated into a weak remnant low over northeast Mexico Saturday afternoon. The remnants of Patricia, however, will enhance the heavy rain threat over Texas over the next 24 to 48 hours.

On Friday, 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).

The eye of Hurricane Patricia made landfall Friday at 6:15 p.m. CDT near Cuixmala in Jalisco state of southwest Mexico. Maximum sustained winds at landfall were estimated at 165 mph, still firmly within the Category 5 range on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

An automated weather observation site in Cuixmala reported a 185-mph wind with a gust of 211 mph at the time of landfall, but NOAA cautioned that these measurements have not been evaluated for quality or calibration.

The landfall point was about 60 miles (96 km) northwest of Manzanillo, where tropical storm-force winds likely occurred.

But less than 24 hours later, at 4 p.m. CDT Saturday, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Patricia to a remnant low centered about 45 miles (70 km) southwest of Monterrey, Mexico. Patricia had been downgraded to a tropical storm early Saturday morning and a tropical depression later that morning.

Read the article “Hurricane Patricia Eyewitness Survivor: ‘It was Like Being in a Tornado Basically’” on weather.com.

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