Hurricane Patricia Makes Landfall In Mexico

By Laura Wagner / NPR

Published October 23, 2015 at 2:32 PM PDT

This story was published more than 9 years ago.

Waves break on a beach before the arrival of Hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Friday. The Category 5 storm's approach prompted authorities to evacuate villages, close ports and urge tourists to cancel trips over fears of a catastrophe.

Hurricane Patricia, one of the most powerful hurricanes in history, made landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast Friday night.

The National Hurricane Center said it hit land with wind speeds of 165 miles per hour. Though Patricia is a Category 5, it is not very big in terms of diameter, as NPR's Russell Lewis previously reported:

"Patricia is a 'small' storm — the most powerful winds don't extend very far beyond its eye, perhaps only about 30 or 40 miles. It's similar in size to Hurricane Andrew, a devastating but compact hurricane that walloped South Florida in 1992."

The storm prompted mass evacuation in Mexico, as NPR's Bill Chappell reported earlier Friday:

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"The Category 5 storm has forced evacuations in Puerto Vallarta and other areas along Mexico's coast. Forecasters say that in addition to destructive winds, Patricia could bring dangerous flash flooding and mudslides. "Fears about the hurricane's possible impact forced an entire wedding party to leave the Villa Amor hotel in Sayulita, Mexico, north of Puerto Vallarta, in the early hours of Friday morning, according to the hotel's general manager, Norma Adams: " 'I am sitting here at the front desk, and I see nobody on the beach,' she told All Things Considered. 'Our fishermen have brought the boats up all the way to the top of the sandy area. They also said "No, it's not gonna hit" — but seeing them pull the boats up, you know something's coming.' "