Mexico's mountains should cause Hurricane Patricia "rapidly weaken" and "dissipate on
Saturday," but the "extremely dangerous" tropical monster still packed 160 mph (260 KM/H) sustained winds hours after it's landfall on Mexico's southwest coast, the National Hurricane Center said in its Friday night advisory.
Watch live cameras along Mexico's coast
Hurricane Patricia became the strongest hurricane ever measured in the western hemisphere Friday when trackers recorded top winds of 200 mph.
"Satellite images indicate that Patricia has continued to weaken, and maximum sustained winds are estimated to be near 160 mph (260 km/h) with higher gusts," the NHC said in its 7pCT advisory. "Patricia is a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Patricia is forecast to rapidly weaken over the mountains of Mexico and dissipate on Saturday."
While destructive on earth, the view from space is spectacular. American astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted a dramatic series of photos from his window on the International Space Station. "#Patricia's force isn't lost on me. Thoughts w friends & all in #Mexico"
#Patricia's force isn't lost on me. Thoughts w friends & all in #Mexico #GoodNight from @space_station #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/FpulnNQleR
-- Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) October 23, 2015
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