Hurricane Patricia, the strongest hurricane ever recorded, looks like a beast from space.
The storm, which exploded in intensity from Thursday into Friday, has unprecedented maximum sustained winds of about 200 miles per hour, with higher gusts, and will make landfall later Friday along Mexico's Pacific coast. The most likely landfall location is between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo.
As of 11 a.m. ET on Friday, the storm was about 125 miles southwest of Manzanillo and 195 miles south of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico.
Hurricane Patricia will most likely be a Category 5 storm when it makes landfall, though it might strengthen or weaken slightly before it hits the coast. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has put out a warning saying that the landfall could be "POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC" for parts of Mexico, and a hurricane warning is in place for the area from San Blas to Punta San Telmo.
Satellites with a good view of Patricia are keeping close tabs on the buzzsaw-shaped storm as it heads toward landfall.
Hurricane #Patricia looks menacing from @space_station. Stay safe below, #Mexico. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/6LP2xCYcGD— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) October 23, 2015
added Gilbert & Tip to SAT comparison: @JimCantore @StephanieAbrams @JustonStrmRider pic.twitter.com/6NKJRIGhB1— Simon Brewer (@SimonStormRider) October 23, 2015
#NOAA close-up satellite image this morning of #Patricia, the strongest eastern north Pacific hurricane on record pic.twitter.com/holLqVlNsj— John Leslie (@JLeslieNOAA) October 23, 2015
Hurricane Patricia strongest on record over eastern North Pacific - 200 mph winds. #patricia https://t.co/Oy8uof9ldM pic.twitter.com/q2ksxUOKat— NHC E. Pacific Ops (@NHC_Pacific) October 23, 2015
#Patricia the strongest eastern north Pacific hurricane on record and heading for landfall https://t.co/xlqVx4rFwX pic.twitter.com/h7aMscWXdU— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) October 23, 2015
#Sunrise on an extreme hurricane #Patricia pic.twitter.com/Ni4t37wqzV— Stu Ostro (@StuOstro) October 23, 2015
Hurricane Patricia could bring 8 to 12 inches of rainfall to the Mexican states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero through Saturday, the NHC said. The rain may also cause "life-threatening" mud slides and flash floods.
At the coast, "An extremely dangerous storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding near and to the right of where the center makes landfall," the NHC added.
#Patricia VIIRS images w/alternate IR temperature color enhancement, both stunning, from @UWCIMSS & @NOAA / @NASA pic.twitter.com/VXjtb1pqcN— Stu Ostro (@StuOstro) October 23, 2015
.@NASANPP VIIRS imagery of #Patricia. Landfall as a Catagory 5 storm expected within 12hrs. https://t.co/JBalL2pAXM pic.twitter.com/4iGmes0dA4— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) October 23, 2015
Morning #GOES-13 IR loop of Hurricane #Patricia shows a gradual turn toward Mexico pic.twitter.com/F5oo9FL62z— Dan Lindsey (@DanLindsey77) October 23, 2015
Sunrise just a bit ago over Hurricane #Patricia. Visible imagery & animations on way of historic storm. pic.twitter.com/6aCjINWcQy— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) October 23, 2015
