Cleanup begins in Mexico after Patricia

Sunday, October 25, 2015, 7:54 AM -

Despite quickly intensifying, the former-hurricane Patricia mostly spared Mexico before moving toward Texas.

Cleanup has now begun in the country after a stormy beginning of the weekend for parts of the country.

Prior to making landfall, the storm rapidly intensified to become the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the eastern north Pacific and Atlantic basins. Patricia’s central pressure dropped 100 mb in 24 hours, making it also the fastest intensifying hurricane ever recorded in the western hemisphere and surpassing Wilma in 2005 which measured a 97 mb drop in 24 hours. 

On Friday afternoon, the system churned offshore with sustained winds up to 325 km/h, shattering previous records to become the strongest hurricane recorded in the Western Hemisphere, which includes the devastating Hurricane Katrina of 2005.

"This is the type of hurricane you get out of the way of," says Weather Network meteorologist Dayna Vettese. "In some instances, it is safe to hunker down in your home and ride out a hurricane. That is not the case with Patricia. Even some trained storm hunters are avoiding this system because it is simply too dangerous."

Despite the impressive stats attached to its formation and strengthening, many Mexicans found by late Saturday that the storm was only a shadow of its former self. Less than 24 hours after making landfall, the wind speeds dropped from 325 km/h to 48 km/h. 

No major deaths were reported but minor injuries and structural damage did happen during the storm. For the most part, coastal communities and touristic hot spots fared well during Patricia. 

Heavy downpours began falling Friday in coastal regions. Approximately 260 millimetres of rainfall were reported in Jalisco state

On Friday evening at 6:15 p.m. local time, Patricia made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane 85 km west of Manzanillo, Mexico, a city populated by about 110,000 people. Patricia did weaken after reaching shore, but it was still strong enough to bring storm surge, downed trees and heavy rain to the affected area.

Potentially deadly flash floods, mudslides and landslides were greatest threats to Mexican communities as the system dropped heavy rain.

Storm preparations were well underway Friday morning through coastal regions of Mexico. Resort hotels forced the evacuation of tourists, many of which were being relocated by bus to the inland metropolis of Guadalajara, the country's second largest city.

Officials closed Puerto Vallarta's airport and port Friday, along with the major cargo port of Manzanillo. State oil company Pemex has announced its service stations will stop selling gasoline in the hurricane-watch area.

The conditions prompted Canadian government to issue a travel warning for the holiday destination. Canada's foreign affairs department advised against non-essential travel to a stretch of Mexico's Pacific coast that includes Puerto Vallarta.

Preparation was the nation's best defense in the hours counting down to Patricia's landfall, and officials expressed cautious optimism as they waited for Saturday morning to reveal the full extent of the storm's destruction. 

"The first reports confirm that the damages have been minor to those corresponding to a hurricane of this magnitude," said Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, according to a CNN report.

People in shelters were being urged by officials to remain in place until the hurricane has completely passed.

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The strength and intensity of Patricia has been unprecedented for the eastern Pacific basin. In the span of a day, Patricia intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane before growing to Category 4 hurricane by Thursday evening. The system reached major hurricane status as a Category 5 early Friday morning.

Hurricane Patricia also broke the record for lowest pressure for any hurricane with a minimum central pressure of 880 millibars. The previous record was set during a record-breaking season in 2005 by Hurricane Wilma, a Category 5 in the Atlantic basin, with a minimum central pressure of 882 millibars. Wilma was one of three powerful tropical cyclones to form in the Atlantic basin that year, in a hurricane season that also produced super systems Rita and Katrina.

Warm sea surface temperatures over 30 C and deep ocean heat helped fuel the growth and intensity of Patricia after it formed on Wednesday.

The moisture generated by Patricia will eventually cross into Texas, bringing significant rainfall and flooding to an already saturated area as it interacts with a stationary low sitting over the northwest Gulf of Mexico.

By mid-week the remnants of Patricia will reach Canada, setting up a classic fall system that will bring drenching rain and wicked winds to the Great Lakes region, across parts of southern Ontario.

Record-breaking tropical cyclones of the past

October 1979: Typhoon Tip: Largest and most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded with wind speeds of 305km/h (190mph), killed 99 people in its path across the Pacific, mostly in Japan

August 1980: Hurricane Allen: Strongest Atlantic hurricane by wind speed, with sustained winds of 305km/h, caused nearly 300 deaths in Haiti and severe damage in the state of Texas

August 2005: Hurricane Katrina - killed at least 1,836 people after striking US states of Louisiana and Mississippi and was the costliest storm in history, causing $81.2bn in damage (with wind speeds of 280km/h)

October 2005: Hurricane Wilma: Most intense tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin with wind speeds of 295km/h, killing 87 people on its path through the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico

November 2013: Typhoon Haiyan: The strongest storm recorded at landfall, with one-minute sustained wind speeds of 315km/h, it devastated parts of the Philippines, killing 6,300 people