Hurricane Patricia officially made landfall on October 23, 2015 at 6:15 PM CDT. These NASA views and animation below from earlier in the day were incredible. It hit 55 miles west northwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. At that time it lost some of the peak, record intensity but hit at 165 mph winds and a pressure of 920 mb. It was the first Category 5 storm to make landfall in North America since Dean in 2007. But earlier in the day it had peaked with 879 mb pressure and 200 mph winds. Gusts were up to 245 mph.
We can credit El Nino warmed waters for fueling this beast. Patricia was not a large storm, as hurricane force winds extended only 35 miles from the center. But it was epic in its timeline and intensity. It ranks as the strongest on record in the Northern Hemisphere and the second strongest on record globally.
Here are the top images from space as NASA viewed the storm.
*Disclaimer: Many of these images are actually of Typhoon Maysak in April of 2015 and I apologize for not screening this better. I was sent a package of images from a friend whom I trusted at face value. I do not want to embarrass her giving her name, but need to state the truth here in my own responsible fashion. I am leaving this article up since the data is accurate, the pics are natural and beautiful, and some are actually Patricia. I also to highlight that even the best sources need to be double checked. So I hope that message is valued here as well as I value photographers, my sources, and passing on accurate information. The intensity of Patricia should still provide stunning images from NASA that we have yet to see. I will certainly share those when available.
Wind visualization
Please share your thoughts, best weather pics/video, or just keep in touch via social media
- Facebook: Justin Berk, Meteorologist
- Twitter: @JustinWeather
- Instagram: justinweather
Get the award winning Kid Weather App I made with my oldest son and support our love for science, weather, and technology. Our 3 year anniversary of the release and our contribution to STEM education is this November. It has been downloaded in 60 countries, and works in both temperature scales. With your support we can expand on the fun introduction to science and real weather.
[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]