This satellite image taken at 8:45 p.m. ET on Oct. 22, 2015, and released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Patricia moving over Mexico's central Pacific Coast.(Photo: AP/NOAA)
The "extremely dangerous" Hurricane Patricia was sustaining 160-mph winds as it headed toward southwestern Mexico, with landfall expected Friday evening, the National Hurricane Center reported.
The storm was increased from a Category 4 to a Category 5 Friday<span style="color: Red;">*</span>night as it bore down on Mexico's central Pacific Coast, according to forecasters. Officials in Mexico were handing out sandbags in preparation for possible flooding from the storm, which was expected to start heading north in the nighttime hours.
Mexican officials declared a state of emergency in in dozens of coastal towns, including<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Manzanillo and the luxury resort Puerto Vallarta, and ordered schools closed Friday.
"This is an extremely dangerous, potentially catastrophic hurricane," center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen said.
Although the storm was expected to weaken somewhat before making landfall, it is forecast to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>create rainfall of up to 20 inches along with possible flash floods and mudslides, according to the weather service.
In Manzanillo, one of the country's principal ports, Luz Adriana Limon Rojas of Colima state's civil defense agency said Thursday skies were still calm, if cloudy, and no evacuation orders had been issued. Patricia was centered Thursday night about 200 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo as it moved northwest at 13 mph.
Alejandra Rodriguez, shopping with her brother and mother, was buying 10 liters of milk, a large jug of water and items like tuna and canned ham that do not require refrigeration or cooking. The family already blocked the bottoms of the doors at their home to keep water from entering.
Manzanillo’s “main street really floods and cuts access to a lot of other streets. It ends up like an island,” Rodriguez said.
Feltgen said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Hurricane Patricia could also affect Texas, magnifying the already heavy rainfall hitting the state.
“It’s only going to make a bad situation worse,” he said.
Contributing: Associated Press
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