Every year during the late summer, another Hurricane causes havoc across the face of the US. Typically starting in the East/Southeast by Florida, the storm then moves up to Massachusetts. However, the effects of the hurricane can be seen across the nation, causing torrential rainfall and flooding.
This year, the US has faced Hurricane Patricia. At her peak, she was measured as the most powerful hurricane ever measured across the Western Hemisphere. The Weather Channel stated, “Patricia had maximum sustained winds reaching an unprecedented 200 mph (320 kph) and its central pressure fell to 879 millibars.” The eye of Hurricane Patricia made landfall on Oct. 23 at 6:15 p.m. CDT near Cuixmala in Jalisco state of southwest Mexico. Maximum sustained winds at landfall were estimated at 165 mph, still firmly within the Category 5 range on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Patricia broke not one record, but two. “In addition to its unprecedented 200-mph (320 kph) sustained winds, Hurricane Patricia broke 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 Oct. 23, Patricia broke the record of 882 millibars set by Wilma in the Atlantic Basin almost exactly 10 years earlier.” reports The Weather Channel
Luckily, the storm weakened very quickly before its effects reached the US, but was still dangerously strong. On the morning of Oct. 24 Patricia weakened into a Category 4 storm. Even with the intense weakening, Patricia still caused flooding and strong winds across the nation. The most affected areas of the US were on the East/Southeast coast such as Florida.
Campus Crier Online 