'Potentially catastrophic' hurricane nears Mexico

Melanie Eversley | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Mexico braces for powerful Hurricane Patricia With maximum sustained winds of 200 mph, forecasters said hurricane Patricia will make landfall on Mexico's Pacific Coast Friday. Forecasters also warn that the monster Category 5 storm could be catastrophic.

The "extremely dangerous" Hurricane Patricia was sustaining 160-mph winds as it headed toward southwestern Mexico, with landfall expected Friday evening, the National Hurricane Center reported.

The storm was increased from a Category 4 to a Category 5 on Thursday night as it bore down on Mexico's central Pacific Coast, according to forecasters. Officials in Mexico were handing out sandbags in preparation for possible flooding from the storm, which was expected to start heading north in the nighttime hours.

Mexican officials declared a state of emergency in dozens of coastal towns, including Manzanillo and the luxury resort Puerto Vallarta, and ordered schools closed Friday.

"This is an extremely dangerous, potentially catastrophic hurricane," center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen said.

Although the storm was expected to weaken somewhat before making landfall, it is forecast to create rainfall of up to 20 inches, along with possible flash floods and mudslides, according to the weather service.

Patricia was centered early Friday about 200 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo as it moved northwest at 13 mph.

Alejandra Rodriguez, shopping with her brother and mother, was buying 10 liters of milk, a large jug of water and items like tuna and canned ham that do not require refrigeration or cooking. The family already blocked the bottoms of the doors at their home to keep water from entering.

Manzanillo’s “main street really floods and cuts access to a lot of other streets. It ends up like an island,” Rodriguez said.

Feltgen said Hurricane Patricia could also affect Texas, magnifying the already heavy rainfall hitting the state.

“It’s only going to make a bad situation worse,” he said.

Contributing: Associated Press