Hurricane Patricia strengthened into one of the most powerful storms in history on Friday as it barreled toward Mexico’s Pacific Coast, forcing resort hotels to evacuate guests and residents to stockpile supplies.
The National Hurricane Center said Patricia was the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, and on a par with Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, which ravaged the Philippines, killing thousands.
Loudspeakers along the shore of the resort of Puerto Vallarta blared orders to evacuate hotels as a light rain fell and a slight breeze ruffled palm trees. The streets emptied as police sirens wailed.
The city’s airport was closed on Friday morning. Local schools were also closed and some business owners were busy boarding and taping up windows.
The NHC said the damage potential was “catastrophic”.
The storm grew at an “incredible rate” in the past 12 hours, the World Meteorological Organisation said, becoming a hurricane overnight with maximum sustained winds of about 325km/h as it moved toward the north-northwest at 19km/h. The strongest storm ever recorded was Cyclone Tip which hit Japan in 1979.
Patricia was last located about 235km south-southwest of the port of Manzanillo.
It is a Category 5 hurricane, the highest rating possible, and was expected to make landfall as an “extremely dangerous” storm on Friday afternoon or evening, the Miami-based hurricane center said earlier.
Mexican emergency officials prepared shelters and warned people in the states of Colima, Jalisco and Michoacan to prepare for torrential rainfalls.