USA-MEXICO/STORM-PATRICIA EXPERT Scientist calls Hurricane Patricia "extremely dangerous" as it nears Mexico

Record ID: 134619

  • Title: USA-MEXICO/STORM-PATRICIA EXPERT Scientist calls Hurricane Patricia "extremely dangerous" as it nears Mexico
  • Date: 23rd October 2015
  • Summary: MIAMI, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 23, 2015) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVID NOLAN, HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI, SAYING: "Once it makes landfall there will be a substantial surge in flooding at the coast. There'll be, you know, substantial wind damage at the coast and any place that's elevated on mountains or hills th
  • Embargoed: 7th November 2015 12:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA44930UEWGVXDJS5V7POO5FH2W
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Hurricane Patricia strengthened into a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm as it churned toward Mexico's Pacific coast, having grown at a rapid pace in the past 12 hours, the World Meteorological Organization said on Friday (October 23).
    Scientist David Nolan of the University of Miami said Patricia was similar to Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6,300 and wiped out or damaged practically everything in its path when it hit the Philippines a couple of years ago.
    "In terms of the maximum wind speeds, it's comparable to Haiyan, basically about the same," he said, adding that Patricia was still not as large.
    "These storms tend to start out a little smaller and then if they stay strong, the size of the storm will expand with time. And this storm has, you know, just really intensified for the first time, so it's not as large," Nolan explained.
    Patricia, which became a hurricane overnight, had maximum sustained winds of about 185 miles per hour (295 km per hour) as it moved toward the north-northwest at 10 mph (16 kph).
    It was last located about 185 miles (295 km) south-southwest 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.
    "I think to anyone on the coast it's extremely, extremely dangerous," Nolan said. "Nobody should be anywhere near the coast or in a small structure or in a place where there could be a landslide or a flood, and that's probably true for that entire region," he added.
    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.
    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 Michoacan to get ready for torrential rainfalls.
    "Typically when the storms make landfall in Mexico, most of the damage or casualties are associated with flooding from rainfall, and that seems very likely to be the case here," Nolan predicted.
    "I have no doubt that Mexico is preparing very rapidly for this event."
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