Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
That's what people along the path of Hurricane Patricia, the most powerful hurricane ever recorded, are doing as they await landfall near Puerto Vallarta on the Mexican coast.
The storm has intensified to 200 mph winds in just 30 hours, leaving many people to take drastic measures to prepare for the damage.
More extreme preparations in Puerto Vallarta. #Patricia #protectthosestogies pic.twitter.com/xUKHjIC3wZ
— Chris Sherman (@chrisshermanAP) October 23, 2015
Tourists in Puerto Vallarta wait for buses to shelters. Hotels mistakenly sent them to convention ctr. #Patricia pic.twitter.com/dWgujUG5Tq
— Chris Sherman (@chrisshermanAP) October 23, 2015
GOES-W visible loop of Patricia since sunrise. Holding at an incredible 200mph sustained. https://t.co/GaO0QBa3c3 pic.twitter.com/qXCSsQul1L
— Ian Livingston (@islivingston) October 23, 2015
Astronaut Scott Kelly shared this extraordinary photo of Patricia from space. And it is BIG.
Hurricane #Patricia looks menacing from @space_station. Stay safe below, #Mexico. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/6LP2xCYcGD
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) October 23, 2015
Even meteorologists are freaking out.
#Patricia's pressure dropped 100mb in 24 hours, making it the fastest-intensifying hurricane ever observed in the Western Hemisphere
— Mike Bettes (@mikebettes) October 23, 2015
It appears we will soon have the first 200-mph operational hurricane intensity in my 17 years as a professional meteorologist. #Patricia
— Nick Wiltgen (@WxNick) October 23, 2015
Stay safe, Mexico!