Hurricane Patricia

Rare card · No. 16559

Hurricane Patricia was the most powerful tropical cyclone on record worldwide in terms of maximum sustained winds. It was also the second-most intense on record worldwide in terms of pressure, with a minimum atmospheric pressure of 872 mbar (25.75 inHg), just behind Typhoon Tip's 870 mbar (25.69 inHg). Originating from a sprawling disturbance near the Gulf of Tehuantepec, south of Mexico, in mid-October 2015, Patricia was first classified as a tropical depression on October 20. Initial development was slow, with only modest strengthening within the first day of its classification. The system later became a tropical storm and was named Patricia, the twenty-fourth named storm of the 2015 Pacific hurricane season. Exceptionally favorable environmental conditions fueled explosive intensification on October 22. A well-defined eye developed within an intense central dense overcast and Patricia grew from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in just 24 hours—a near-record pace. On October...

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