Patricia just made landfall. The statistics are impressive:
190 MPH sustained winds
236 MPH wind gusts
879mB centre pressure
This is the strongest storm ever recorded in the western hemisphere.
There is no estimate available for the storm surge, but it's obvious that much
of the coast south of the eye will be devastated, if not wiped off the map.
One factor that was mentioned is the sea surface temperature, which is
86F, the warmest recorded for the area. It's part of The Blob, a very large
area of abnormally warm water that stretches from the equator to Alaska, from
the Pacific coast to about half way to Hawai'i. Also, there is a lack of
shearing winds, possibly due to Hurricane Olaf, presently east of Hawai'i.
Chris
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro
- Hunter S. Thompson
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