Hurricane Patricia downgraded, but still ‘extremely dangerous’
Record-breaking Hurricane Patricia appeared to leave remarkably little damage as it moved rapidly inland over mountainous western Mexico early Saturday and weakened to tropical storm, though authorities warned it could still cause deadly floods and mudslides.
- Residents of the Chamela community clear the debris left by Hurricane Patricia in the state of Jalisco, Mexico on October 24, 2015. Patricia flattened dozens of homes on Mexico’s Pacific coast, but authorities said Saturday the record-breaking hurricane largely spared the country as it weakened to a tropical depression. (Hector Guerrero/AFP-Getty Images)
- Aerial view of the Manzanillo-Colima roadin Colima State, Mexico on October 24, 2015 after the passage of hurricane Patricia. Patricia flattened dozens of homes on Mexico’s Pacific coast, but authorities said Saturday the record-breaking hurricane largely spared the country as it weakened to a tropical depression. (Mario Vazques/AFP-Getty Images)
- Aerial view of the Chamela community, Jalisco State, Mexico on October 24, 2015 after the passage of hurricane Patricia. Patricia flattened dozens of homes on Mexico’s Pacific coast, but authorities said Saturday the record-breaking hurricane largely spared the country as it weakened to a tropical depression. (Mario Vazques/AFP-Getty Images)
- Residents of Las Manzanillas look at the sea after the passage of hurricane Patricia in Melaque, Jalisco state, Mexico on October 24, 2015. Patricia flattened dozens of homes on Mexico’s Pacific coast, but authorities said Saturday the record-breaking hurricane largely spared the country as it weakened to a tropical depression. (Omar Torres/AFP-Getty Images)
- Maria del Refugio Ruiz Bravo sets out to dry personal belongings soaked by Hurricane Patricia, in La Fortuna, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. Record-breaking Patricia pushed rapidly inland over mountainous western Mexico early Saturday, weakening to tropical storm force while dumping torrential rains that authorities warned could cause deadly floods and mudslides. (Rebecca Blackwell/Associated Press)
- People pass a damaged store after damage from Hurricane Patricia October 24, 2015 in Melaque, Jalisco, Mexico. Hurricane Patricia struck Mexico’s West coast as the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere but rapidly lost energy as it moved inland. (Brett Gundlock/Getty Images)
- A child looks out a window from a city bus as it drives through a flooded out turn off at the entrance to the city after heavy flooding from Hurriane Patricia October 24, 2015 in Tecoman, Colima, Mexico. Hurricane Patricia struck Mexico’s West coast as the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere but rapidly lost energy as it moved inland. (Brett Gundlock/Getty Images)
- The Lower Colorado River Authority opened floodgates at Tom Miller Dam to relieve possible flooding on Lake Austin, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, in Austin, Texas. A powerful storm system moved through Texas on Saturday, flooding roads and causing a freight train to derail as parts of the state braced for the remnants of Hurricane Patricia to arrive. (Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
- View of the street during the arrival of hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on October 23 ,2015. Monster Hurricane Patricia roared toward Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday, prompting authorities to evacuate villagers, close ports and urge tourists to cancel trips over fears of a catastrophe. The US National Hurricane Center called Patricia the strongest eastern north Pacific hurricane on record. It said the storm will make a potentially catastrophic landfall later Friday in southwestern Mexico. (HECTOR GUERRERO/AFP/Getty Images)
- People jog in a breakwater following the passage of hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on October 24 ,2015. Record-breaking Hurricane Patricia weakened to a tropical storm over north-central Mexico on Saturday, dumping heavy rain that triggered flooding and landslides but so far causing less damage than feared. (HECTOR GUERRERO/AFP/Getty Images)
- Mexican soldiers remove sand from the street in Manzanillo, state of Colima, after Hurricane Patricia hit the shore of neighbouring Jalisco state, on October 24, 2015. Record-breaking Hurricane Patricia weakened to a tropical storm over north-central Mexico on Saturday, dumping heavy rain that triggered flooding and landslides but so far causing less damage than feared. (OMAR TORRES/AFP/Getty)
- Mike Anderson of Minnesota, right, fishes alongside his friend and local fisherman Miguel Pilas during a steady rain as Hurricane Patricia approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Hurricane Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
- Residents walk along a flooded street in Zoatlan, Nayarit state, some 150 km northwest of Guadalajara, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. Hurricane Patricia made landfall Friday on a sparsely populated stretch of Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 5 storm, avoiding direct hits on the resort city of Puerto Vallarta and major port city of Manzanillo as it weakened to tropical storm force while dumping torrential rains that authorities warned could cause deadly floods and mudslides. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
- Soldiers help a woman to leave her flooded house to take her to a shelter in Zoatlan, Nayarit state, some 150 km northwest of Guadalajara, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. Hurricane Patricia made landfall Friday on a sparsely populated stretch of Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 5 storm, avoiding direct hits on the resort city of Puerto Vallarta and major port city of Manzanillo as it weakened to tropical storm force while dumping torrential rains that authorities warned could cause deadly floods and mudslides. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
- Residents stand outside their flooded house in Zoatlan, Nayarit state, some 150 km northwest of Guadalajara, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. Hurricane Patricia made landfall Friday on a sparsely populated stretch of Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 5 storm, avoiding direct hits on the resort city of Puerto Vallarta and major port city of Manzanillo as it weakened to tropical storm force while dumping torrential rains that authorities warned could cause deadly floods and mudslides. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
- People enjoy a seafront walkway the morning after Hurricane Patricia passed further south, sparing Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. Hurricane Patricia made landfall Friday on a sparsely populated stretch of Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 5 storm, avoiding direct hits on the resort city of Puerto Vallarta and major port city of Manzanillo as it weakened to tropical storm force while dumping torrential rains that authorities warned could cause deadly floods and mudslides.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
- A city cleaner sweeps normal leaves and debris from a seafront walkway, the morning after Hurricane Patricia passed further south sparing Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. The storm made landfall Friday evening on Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 kph) but it is rapidly losing steam as it moves over a mountainous region inland from the shore.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
- A man walks his dogs along the seafront the morning after Hurricane Patricia passed further south, sparing Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. The storm made landfall Friday evening on Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 kph) but it is rapidly losing steam as it moves over a mountainous region inland from the shore.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
- People walk along the beach under a steady rain as they await the arrival of Hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. The storm was homing in on a Pacific coastline dotted with sleepy fishing villages and gleaming resorts, including the popular beach city of Puerto Vallarta and the port of Manzanillo. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
- People wait for the arrival of Hurricane Patricia inside a shelter in the Pacific resort city of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Hurricane Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Residents and tourists hunkered down or tried to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall.” (AP Photo/Cesar Rodriguez)
- A man walks with a figure of a shark before the arrival of hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on October 23 ,2015. Monster Hurricane Patricia roared toward Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday, prompting authorities to evacuate villagers, close ports and urge tourists to cancel trips over fears of a catastrophe. The US National Hurricane Center called Patricia the strongest eastern north Pacific hurricane on record. It said the storm will make a potentially catastrophic landfall later Friday in southwestern Mexico. (HECTOR GUERRERO/AFP/Getty Images)
- Municipal workers collect branches from a flooded street in Manzanillo, Colima state, Mexico on October 23, 2015, during hurricane Patricia. The strongest hurricane ever recorded crashed into Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday, ratcheting up fears that super-storm Patricia will unleash death and destruction with its powerful winds and driving rain. (Jonathan Levinson/AFP/Getty Images)
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People unload sandbags to use as protection of their businesses in preparation Hurricane Patricia in the Pacific resort city Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Locals and tourists were either hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day.
|| CREDIT: CESAR RODRIGUEZ – AP PHOTO
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A sand sculpture carved with a message that reads in Spanish; “Welcome to Vallarta” decorates the beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Locals and tourists were either hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day.
|| CREDIT: REBECCA BLACKWELL – AP PHOTO
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Shoppers stand in line to buy supplies at a supermarket in the Pacific resort city Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Hurricane Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Locals and tourists were either hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day.
|| CREDIT: CESAR RODRIGUEZ – AP PHOTO
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Mexican and international tourists wait at a conference center to be transferred to a shelter, ahead of the arrival of Category 5 Hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Teams of police and civil protection are walking along Puerto Vallarta’s waterfront Friday morning advising people to evacuate. A top civil protection official says that three airports in the path of Patricia in southwestern Mexico have been shut down as the storm approaches.
|| CREDIT: REBECCA BLACKWELL – AP PHOTO
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A worker boards up the front of a waterfront business, as residents prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Locals and tourists were either hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day.
|| CREDIT: REBECCA BLACKWELL – AP PHOTO
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American tourists wait outside a conference center to be transferred to a shelter, bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Teams of police and civil protection are walking along Puerto Vallarta’s waterfront, advising people to evacuate. A top civil protection official says that three airports in the path of Patricia in southwestern Mexico have been shut down as the storm approaches.
|| CREDIT: REBECCA BLACKWELL – AP PHOTO
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Mexican and international tourists board a bus at a conference center to be transferred to a shelter, bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Teams of police and civil protection are walking along Puerto Vallarta’s waterfront, advising people to evacuate. A top civil protection official says that three airports in the path of Patricia in southwestern Mexico have been shut down as the storm approaches.
|| CREDIT: REBECCA BLACKWELL – AP PHOTO
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As Hurricane Patricia approaches Mexican and international tourists wait in line to board buses that will transport them to a shelter, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Teams of police and civil protection are walking along Puerto Vallarta’s waterfront, advising people to evacuate. A top civil protection official says that three airports in the path of Patricia in southwestern Mexico have been shut down as the storm approaches.
|| CREDIT: REBECCA BLACKWELL – AP PHOTO
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Framed by luggage, a toddler sits in a baby carrier as tourists wait for buses to transfer them from a conference center to a shelter ahead of Hurricane Patricia’s arrival, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Teams of police and civil protection are walking along Puerto Vallarta’s waterfront, advising people to evacuate. A top civil protection official says that three airports in the path of Patricia in southwestern Mexico have been shut down as the storm approaches.
|| CREDIT: REBECCA BLACKWELL – AP PHOTO
- Mexican and international tourists board a bus to be transported to a shelter, bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Teams of police and civil protection are walking along Puerto Vallarta’s waterfront, advising people to evacuate. A top civil protection official says that three airports in the path of Patricia in southwestern Mexico have been shut down as the storm approaches. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell ORG XMIT: RLB114
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People make final preparations for the arrival of Hurricane Patricia in the Pacific resort city Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Locals and tourists were either hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day.
|| CREDIT: CESAR RODRIGUEZ – AP PHOTO
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Residents prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Patricia filling sand bags to protect beachfront businesses, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Locals and tourists were either hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day.
|| CREDIT: REBECCA BLACKWELL – AP PHOTO
- In this handout from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hurricane Patricia is seen churning in the Pacific on October 23, 2015. The now category 5 hurricane is heading towards Mexico and is being called the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the western hemisphere. (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 544019915
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Residents visit the waterfront in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Patricia, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Locals and tourists were either hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day. (A
|| CREDIT: REBECCA BLACKWELL – AP PHOTO
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Men nail boards across the shutters of a waterfront business, as residents prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Locals and tourists were either hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day.
|| CREDIT: REBECCA BLACKWELL – AP PHOTO
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Residents visit the waterfront in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Hurricane Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Locals and tourists were either hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day.
|| CREDIT: REBECCA BLACKWELL – AP PHOTO
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Trucks belonging to Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) drive down a road in the Pacific resort city Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Hurricane Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Locals and tourists were either hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day.
|| CREDIT: CESAR RODRIGUEZ – AP PHOTO
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Light rain begins to fall on the empty tarmac of the airport in the Pacific resort city Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. Hurricane Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Locals and tourists were either hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day.
|| CREDIT: CESAR RODRIGUEZ – AP PHOTO
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People line up to buy food and water before the arrival of hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on October 23, 2015. Monster Hurricane Patricia rumbled toward Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday, growing into the strongest storm on record in the Western Hemisphere as the country braced for a potential catastrophe.
|| CREDIT: HECTOR GUERRERO – AFP/GETTY IMAGES
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Firefighters deploy before the arrival of hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on October 23, 2015. Monster Hurricane Patricia rumbled toward Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday, growing into the strongest storm on record in the Western Hemisphere as the country braced for a potential catastrophe.
|| CREDIT: HECTOR GUERRERO – AFP/GETTY IMAGES
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A man secures the window of a store before the arrival of hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on October 23, 2015. Monster Hurricane Patricia rumbled toward Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday, growing into the strongest storm on record in the Western Hemisphere as the country braced for a potential catastrophe.
|| CREDIT: HECTOR GUERRERO – AFP/GETTY IMAGES
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A man passes by a store with their windows blocked off in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on October 23, 2015. Monster Hurricane Patricia rumbled toward Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday, growing into the strongest storm on record in the Western Hemisphere as the country braced for a potential catastrophe.
|| CREDIT: HECTOR GUERRERO – AFP/GETTY IMAGES
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People pile up sandbags at a store before the arrival of hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on October 23, 2015. Monster Hurricane Patricia rumbled toward Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday, growing into the strongest storm on record in the Western Hemisphere as the country braced for a potential catastrophe.
|| CREDIT: HECTOR GUERRERO – AFP/GETTY IMAGES
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People protect store windows before the arrival of hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on October 23, 2015. Monster Hurricane Patricia rumbled toward Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday, growing into the strongest storm on record in the Western Hemisphere as the country braced for a potential catastrophe.
|| CREDIT: HECTOR GUERRERO – AFP/GETTY IMAGES
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Mexican and international tourists wait for buses to transport them to a shelter ahead of Hurricane Patricia, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. The storm is expected to make landfall later Friday.
|| CREDIT: REBECCA BLACKWELL – AP PHOTO