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| Hurricane Patricia: Mexico braces for 'strongest ever' storm in east Pacific | Hurricane Patricia: Mexico braces for 'strongest ever' storm in east Pacific |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Hurricane Patricia strengthened into a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm as it churned toward Mexico’s Pacific coast, having grown at an “incredible rate” in the past 12 hours, the World Meteorological Organization said on Friday. | Hurricane Patricia strengthened into a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm as it churned toward Mexico’s Pacific coast, having grown at an “incredible rate” in the past 12 hours, the World Meteorological Organization said on Friday. |
| “Patricia is now the strongest ever hurricane to hit the eastern north Pacific region,” WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis told a UN briefing in Geneva, citing an update from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). | “Patricia is now the strongest ever hurricane to hit the eastern north Pacific region,” WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis told a UN briefing in Geneva, citing an update from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). |
| “This is really, really, really strong. It’s comparable with Typhoon Haiyan which hit the Philippines with such devastating effect a couple of years ago.“ | “This is really, really, really strong. It’s comparable with Typhoon Haiyan which hit the Philippines with such devastating effect a couple of years ago.“ |
| Haiyan killed more than 6,300 people and wiped out or damaged practically everything in its path as it swept ashore on 8 November 2013, destroying about 90% of the city of Tacloban in Leyte province. | |
| Patricia, which became a hurricane overnight, had maximum sustained winds of about 200 miles per hour (325 km per hour) as it moved toward the north-north-west at 10mph (16kph). | |
| “The winds are enough to get a plane in the air and keep it flying,” Nullis said. | “The winds are enough to get a plane in the air and keep it flying,” Nullis said. |
| Patricia was last located about 185 miles (295 km) south-south-west of the port of Manzanillo, where a hurricane warning had been issued. A hurricane warning was also in effect for the beach resort of Puerto Vallarta. | |
| The storm, which is a Category 5, the highest rating possible, had been expected to weaken somewhat before making landfall in the hurricane warning area by Friday afternoon or evening, the Miami-based hurricane center said earlier. | |
| The United States government issued an advisory urging its nationals to steer clear of beaches and rough seas and to take shelter as instructed by Mexican officials. | The United States government issued an advisory urging its nationals to steer clear of beaches and rough seas and to take shelter as instructed by Mexican officials. |
| Some businesses in Puerto Vallarta had begun boarding and taping up windows late on Thursday as a precaution, while several domestic flights had been delayed. | Some businesses in Puerto Vallarta had begun boarding and taping up windows late on Thursday as a precaution, while several domestic flights had been delayed. |
| Mexican emergency officials began to prepare shelters and warned people in the states of Colima, Jalisco and Michoacán to get ready for torrential rainfalls. | |
| None of the major installations of Mexican state oil giant Pemex lie in the projected path of the storm. | None of the major installations of Mexican state oil giant Pemex lie in the projected path of the storm. |