"Potentially catastrophic" Patricia becomes strongest hurricane ever recorded, to slam Mexico tonight

Early Friday, monstrous Hurricane Patricia became the strongest hurricane ever measured by the National Hurricane Center. Patricia is forecast to make landfall on Mexico’s west central coast Friday night with destructive winds, torrents of rain, and a devastating storm surge. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is describing the situation as “potentially catastrophic.” The Category 5 storm’s maximum sustained winds strengthened to an astonishing 200 mph this morning but decreased slightly to 190 mph as of 5 p.m., the NHC said. While it may weaken a little more, Patricia is expected to remain an extremely dangerous category 5 hurricane through landfall, most likely around 7-9 p.m. local time.