Willa Category 5 hurricane now ‘EXTREMELY THREATENING’

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HURRICANE Willa is rapidly intensifying on its direct path to Mexico’s Pacific coast as an ‘extremely threatening’ Category 5 hurricane.

Hurricane Willa is expected to produce life-threatening storm surge, win, and rainfall over portions of west-central and southwestern Mexico.

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Willa is currently located about 195 miles south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico and is presently moving northward at a speed of 5 mph.

According to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC), the dangerous hurricane’s maximum sustained winds have increased to near 155 mph with higher gusts.

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Willa has strengthened at an incredible rate, intensifying from a tropical depression to a category 5 hurricane in less than 48 hours.

And the hurricane is still strengthening, according to NHC’s latest forecast advisory.

Hurricane Willa is expected to produce dangerous storm surge along the coast of southwestern Mexico by late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

The surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.

Hurricane Willa

Hurricane Willa: The massive weather system is heading straight for Mexico (Image: NOAA/HURRICANEZONE)

Large swells generated by Willa will continue to affect portions of the coast of southwestern and west-central Mexico during the next few days.

In addition, Hurricane Willa is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of six to 12 inches, with local amounts up to 18 inches across portions of western Jalisco, western Nayarit, Durango and southern Sinaloa in Mexico.

According to the NHC, this rainfall will cause “life-threatening flash flooding and landslides.”

A hurricane warning has been posted for a stretch of shore between San Blas and Mazatlan, including Las Islas Marias.

Hurricane Willa

And a tropical storm warning is in effect for Playa Perula to San Blas and north of Mazatlan to Bahia Tempehuaya.

Hurricane conditions are expected within the hurricane warning area by late Tuesday, with tropical storm conditions expected by Tuesday morning.

Tropical storm conditions are expected within the tropical storm warning areas tonight and Tuesday.

The NHC urges interests elsewhere along the coasts to monitor the progress of Willa.

Hurricane Willa

Hurricane Willa is expected to make landfall on Tuesday evening (Image: WINDY)

Hurricane Willa is the tenth of the 2018 northeast Pacific hurricane season.

The 2018 Eastern Pacific hurricane season is the most active on record, according to an index called ACE – Accumulated Cyclone Energy – used to track hurricane activity.

ACE tracks hurricanes length and intensity values.

As of October 20, there have been 22 named storms.

12 of these became hurricanes and nine were major hurricanes – at least Category 3 intensity – in the Eastern Pacific Basin.

Source: Weather Channel, Conagaua, Wunderground

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