Hurricane Patricia

[riley]

Packing 200 mph winds, the U.S. National Hurricane Center described Patricia as the "strongest hurricane on record" in the Atlantic and eastern North Pacific.

"Extremely dangerous" Hurricane Patricia was sustaining 160-mph winds as it headed toward southwestern Mexico, with landfall expected Friday evening, the National Hurricane Center reported.

The storm was increased from a Category 4 to a Category 5 Friday night as it bore down on Mexico's central Pacific Coast, according to forecasters.
"This is an extremely dangerous, potentially catastrophic hurricane," center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen said.

Although the storm was expected to weaken somewhat before making landfall, it is forecast to create rainfall of up to 20 inches, along with possible flash floods and mudslides, according to the weather service.

Feltgen said Hurricane Patricia could also affect Texas, magnifying the already heavy rainfall hitting the state.

“It’s only going to make a bad situation worse,” he said.