Not the strongest tropical cyclone on record, but
the strongest one called a "hurricane" which is what we call them in our part of the world.
At 4 a.m. CDT, the eye of Hurricane Patricia was about 145 miles (255
kilometers) southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and was moving
north-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).
In addition to its
unprecedented 200-mph (320-kph) sustained winds, Hurricane Patricia now
holds the record for lowest pressure in any hurricane on record. With a
minimum central pressure of 880 millibars (25.99 inches of mercury) at
the 4 a.m. CDT advisory, Patricia broke the record of 882 millibars set
by Wilma almost exactly 10 years ago.
Equally stunning, if not moreso,
is this.
Patricia’s rate of strengthening since Wednesday has been truly
remarkable. In a mere 36 hours, Patricia’s official NHC rating went from
minimal tropical storm (40 mph) to Category 5 hurricane--among the most
rapid intensification rates one might expect in a hurricane anywhere.
In 2005, Governor Blanco declared a state of emergency when Katrina was still a cat 3, 72 hours away in the Gulf. At closer to 48 hours Ray Nagin issued the first voluntary evacuation order for New Orleans. The storm had still not reached full strength and was still a considerable distance away. But people could more or less see it coming. What if it had blown up just off the coast practically overnight? How do you tailor your plans to react to something like that? And please don't say the answer is you need more "resilience."
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