MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Hurricane Willa surged to a dangerous Category Four storm on Sunday (Oct 21) off Mexico's Pacific coast, United States forecasters said.

"Extremely dangerous... Hurricane Willa continues to rapidly strengthen (and is) forecast to produce life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall over portions of south-western and west-central Mexico, beginning on Tuesday," the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) warned.

The monster storm was 365km south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, packing top sustained winds of 220kmh.

It was churning forward north-northwest, at a slow 9kmh, the forecast said.

"Additional strengthening is expected during the next day or so, and Willa is forecast to be a dangerous hurricane when it reaches the coast of Mexico," the NHC said.

Mexico's government has put various parts of the coast on alert.</s>On Monday morning, a mild tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean heading toward Mexico’s western coast suddenly transformed into one the strongest tropical cyclones ever to threaten the region. Hurricane Willa—which had maximum sustained winds of 40 miles-per-hour less than 48 hours prior—had quadrupled in intensity, gusting at 160 miles-per-hour.

Residents of the Mexican states Sinaloa and Nayarit must now scramble to prepare for a Category 5 storm they didn’t realize was coming. Expected to make landfall there on Tuesday afternoon, Willa is now threatening “life-threatening flash flooding and landslides,” “dangerous storm surge,” and “large destructive waves,” according to the National Hurricane Center.

Willa’s unexpected growth has been both “explosive” and “extremely impressive,” the NHC said. But it’s also eerily familiar. Willa is the third devastating hurricane in the last month to experience “rapid intensification,” a phenomenon in which a hurricane’s sustained wind speeds increase by at least 35 miles-per-hour over a 24-hour period.

Hurricane Michael was the last to catch meteorologists off guard. It was only a Category 1 storm on October 8, less than two days before it made landfall as nearly a Category 5, one of the strongest hurricanes ever to make landfall in the United States. Hurricane Florence jumped from a Category 2 to Category 4 storm in a period of a few hours before it slammed into North Carolina in September. The trend isn’t limited to this year, either. The most destructive and infamous storms of 2017—Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria—all underwent rapid intensification, according to The Washington Post.</s>
• None Hurricane Willa has grown into a Category 5 storm in the eastern Pacific and could be "extremely dangerous" to Mexico's western coast.
• North and Central America see most hurricanes from May or June through November, and scientists have warned that make these storms more severe and intense.
• Since the year 2000, Florida has seen over 79 hurricanes — meanwhile, Europe hasn't had a hurricane in over 50 years, but that could soon change.
• Watch the video above to learn how some parts of the world avoid tropical storms and hurricanes.

You don't have to live far inland to avoid hurricanes. Just move to Europe or the western coast of the United States. These areas rarely see full-on hurricanes. But that may soon change. As Hurricane Willa strengthens into a Category 5 storm and barrels its way towards the western coast of Mexico, watch the video above to find out why hurricanes rarely hit certain parts of the world.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Europe hasn't had a hurricane reach its shore in over 50 years. Now don't get the wrong idea. Hurricane season still brings a hefty dose of wind and rain. But Europe has something that North America doesn't, when it comes to protection against hurricanes. Location.

Hurricanes usually form off the coast of West Africa, where warm water near the Equator and high humidity create columns of rapidly rising rotating air. It's the perfect recipe for a storm. Now the more warm, moist air that the system picks up, the stronger it becomes. That's why a tropical storms can quickly grow into a full on hurricane as it marches across the Atlantic. Now normally hurricanes are propelled on a westward track by the trade winds, caused by the Earth's rotation. That's why Europe as well as the West Coast of the US, rarely experience full on hurricanes. But that's not the whole story.

After all, since the year 2000, remnants of around 30 hurricanes have reached Europe. For comparison, over the same time frame. By the time these remnants make landfall, they've went from a hurricane force, to a tropical storm or weaker. And that's where Europe's location comes into play. In order for a hurricane to head towards Europe, something crucial has to happen. It has to travel really far North by about 200 miles. Once a storm system reaches 30 degrees north, it encounters the subtropical jet stream. Which moves in the opposite direction of the trade winds. And therefore, blows the storm East But because the storm is now farther North, the waters underneath are colder by up to about five to 10 degrees Celsius. Which means less energy available to feed the storm. And as a result, it starts to die down by the time it's headed for Europe. Even though it's no longer a hurricane, it still packs a punch when it hits shore.

In fact, most of these hurricane remnants will combine with other nearby cyclones and weather fronts, that create high winds and rain that mainly hit Ireland and Great Britain. But have been known to reach as far as Greece or even farther in Northern Russia. Typical damages include power outages, flooding, and occasionally casualties. Most recently the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia made landfall in Ireland and Scotland in 2017. About 50,000 households in Northern Ireland lost power. Three deaths were reported and downed trees closed many of the public roads and highways. This was the worst storm that Ireland had seen in 50 years. And it may be a sign of what's to come.

As global surface temperatures rise, it will also increase the sea surface temperatures in the Northern Atlantic. Which researchers estimate could contribute to an increase in the number of hurricane force storms that reach Europe. Some experts predict that by the end of the 21st century, Europe could experience, on average, 13 powerful storms each year during hurricane season. Compared to the two per year it sees now.</s>PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Residents and tourists were hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day.

The storm was homing in on a Pacific coastline dotted with sleepy fishing villages and gleaming resorts, including the popular beach city of Puerto Vallarta and the port of Manzanillo. After hitting land, Patricia”s projected path would quickly take it over mountainous terrain that is prone to dangerous flash floods and landslides.

In Puerto Vallarta, residents reinforced homes with sandbags and shop windows with boards and tape, and hotels rolled up beachfront restaurants. The airport was closed to all flights and all but deserted, but lines formed at a bus station by people anxious to buy tickets to Guadalajara and other inland destinations.

Fire trucks and ambulances rolled through the streets, sirens blaring, as emergency workers warned people in both Spanish and English to evacuate. For Jose Manuel Gonzalez Ochoa, that made up his mind. His family lives in their ground-floor chicken restaurant, Pollos Vallarta, and neighbors told them water was 5 feet deep in the street the last time a hurricane came through.

Gonzalez Ochoa said the family was heading to a town 30 minutes from the coast. “We”re better off heading up there already,” he said. “The whole government is telling us to leave. You have to obey.”

Asked what preparations he would make for his business, he said he”d just close it up and see what”s left after the storm passes.

Patricia formed suddenly Tuesday evening as a tropical storm, turned into a hurricane just over a day later and kept building in strength, catching many off guard with its rapid growth. By Friday it was the most powerful hurricane on record in the Western Hemisphere, with maximum sustained winds near 200 mph (325 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Patricia”s power was comparable to that of Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 dead or missing in the Philippines two years ago, according to the U.N.”s World Meteorological Organization. More than 4 million people were displaced and over 1 million houses were destroyed or damaged in 44 provinces in the central Visayas region, a large cluster of islands.

By Friday afternoon, Patricia”s center was about 85 miles (135 kilometers) southwest of Manzanillo, and about 155 miles (250 kilometers) south of Cabo Corrientes. The Hurricane Center said Patricia was expected to remain an “extremely dangerous” Category 5 storm through landfall late afternoon or evening, before weakening over the inland mountains.

Mexican officials declared a state of emergency in dozens of municipalities in Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco states, and schools were closed. Many residents had already bought supplies ahead of Patricia”s arrival. The government suspended tolls on the Guadalajara-Tepic highway to facilitate the flow of vehicles from the coast.

According to the 2010 census, there were more than 7.3 million inhabitants in Jalisco state and more than 255,000 in Puerto Vallarta municipality. There were more than 650,000 in Colima state, and more than 161,000 in Manzanillo.

Evacuations were underway with officials taking people to shelters, mostly in schools, according to the Jalisco government”s website. Authorities opened hundreds of shelters and announced they would shut down electricity to parts of the area as a safety precaution.

Roberto Ramirez, director of Mexico”s National Water Commission, which includes the nation”s meteorological service, said Patricia”s winds would be powerful enough to lift automobiles, destroy homes that are not sturdily built with cement and steel, and drag anyone caught outside when the storm strikes.

He said Patricia appeared to be heading in the direction Playa Perula, a Pacific coast locale in Jalisco state, with Manzanillo the nearest and most at-risk city for the storm”s wrath.

A hurricane that slammed into Colima state in October 1959 killed 1,500 people, according to Mexico”s National Center for Disaster Prevention.

Civil protection official Daniel Garcia, dressed in a lifeguard”s red swimsuit and yellow poncho with a flotation device slung over his shoulder, walked along the Puerto Vallarta waterfront advising everyone to move at least three blocks inland.

Previous hurricanes have shown that waterfront streets fill with sand and flying stones, he said. Most businesses were closing, but authorities were concerned that some business owners were telling employees to stay put as a security measure.

“We need people to understand the magnitude of the hurricane,” Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio told Radio Formula. “It is a devastating hurricane, the biggest one ever registered.”

Osorio said the government was deploying soldiers and police, but did not say how many. Authorities were busing people away from at-risk coastal areas and sending alerts through radio, TV and cellphone messages.

At a Puerto Vallarta convention center, 200 to 300 people were waiting for transportation to safety after several hotels mistakenly brought them to the building, which has large glass panels that could be deadly in the storm”s high winds.

Among them was Steve Routson of Tacoma, Washington, who had one day left on a beach vacation with 17 friends when the hurricane interrupted. He said staff from their hotel was with them as the group waited to be taken to a university shelter. “They stayed with us every minute,” Routson said.

Brian Bournival of Portland, Ore., who traveled to Puerto Vallarta for a friend”s 40th birthday, decided to ride the storm out in his hotel because of heavy traffic on roads out of the city.

Bournival expressed confidence in the construction of his hotel a few blocks from the ocean, describing its foundations as “ginormous.” He and a dozen other guests were huddled in a common area with food, water and medical kits.

Meteorologists said Patricia”s incredibly small 8-mile-wide eye wall would likely contract later in the day — a normal process that often weakens a storm slightly. But that may not be completely good news, because it would make the overall size of the storm slightly larger, said Jim Kossin, an atmospheric scientist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“It”s looking like a very bad disaster is shaping up,” said MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel.

In addition to an expected eye wall contraction, winds that restrain a storm are starting to pick up, so Patricia may weaken a bit to winds of about 175 mph at landfall — which would still be a top-of-the-chart hurricane, said Jeff Masters, a former hurricane hunter meteorologist.

Kossin called Patricia “a three-pronged hazard” that will likely wreak havoc with high winds, salt water storm surge and inland freshwater flooding from heavy rains.

Three airports in Patricia”s path were shut down: Puerto Vallarta; Manzanillo in Colima state; and Tepic in Nayarit.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the Mexican coast from San Blas to Punta San Telmo, and a broader area was under hurricane watch, tropical storm warning or tropical storm watch.

Patricia also poses problems for Texas, with forecasters saying that even after the storm breaks, up its tropical moisture will likely feed heavy rains already soaking the state.

The U.S. National Weather Service said a flash flood watch would be in effect through Sunday morning for Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio.

A coastal flood warning was in effect through Friday night in Corpus Christi. Galveston was under a coastal flood advisory until Saturday night.

AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report.</s>An active jetstream will capture what’s left of Willa and reform it into a fall nor’easter. Meteorologically, it’s quite interesting that the storm will take this track and will end up affecting Canada as well.

Hurricane Willa will move into Mexico Tuesday evening, and once it’s over land it will quickly lose its tropical characteristics. However, this is not the end of the storm. Weather knows no country boundaries, and this particular storm will move into the United States on Wednesday and then along the Gulf Coast before making the turn toward the Northeast late this week.

Hurricane Willa’s remains will move across the country in the next several days. (Dave Epstein/Tropical Tidbit Data)

Since we haven’t had a nor’easter in several months, it’s worth reminding folks that the term doesn’t necessarily mean snow. It just means that a storm will move up the coastline and provide northeasterly winds. The strength of a nor’easter varies, and the precipitation type also can be quite different depending on the time of year and the location. Tides are, astronomically, somewhat high this weekend, so minor coastal flooding is possible.

If you’re making weekend plans, it appears that precipitation will move into Southern New England sometime during the day Saturday, and it may remain unsettled into Sunday and Monday. With several days until the storm really gets its act together, there will be changes to the forecast in terms of timing as well as the potential amount of rainfall. We could get by Saturday morning without rainfall, but it’s also possible the rain moves in earlier and all of Saturday is wet.

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Because there will be cold high pressure north of New England as the precipitation begins, there may actually be some wet snow in the higher elevations. Whether places like the Worcester Hills or the Berkshires see some wet snow is yet to be determined, but it’s not out of the question that this could end up as our first snow event for some.

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If the storm strengthens enough, we could also see quite a bit of leaf drop, marking the end of a very mediocre leaf-peeping season around here.

Follow Dave Epstein on Twitter @growingwisdom.</s>Forecasters say Hurricane Willa has grown rapidly into a "potentially catastrophic" Category 5 storm in the eastern Pacific, on a path toward Mexico’s western coast.

Landfall is predicted for late Tuesday or early Wednesday, likely as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said.

The center said that Willa is expected to “produce life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall over portions of southwestern and west-central Mexico beginning on Tuesday.” It will also spawn life-threatening surf and rip conditions.

"Willa is expected to make landfall about 40-60 miles south of Mazatlan, Mexico," said AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.

A hurricane warning was posted for Mexico’s western coast between San Blas and Mazatlan. Tropical storm warnings were raised from Playa Perula to San Blas and north of Mazatlan to Bahia Tempehuaya. The center said Willa is expected make landfall late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

Willa had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph Monday morning and was centered about 135 miles southwest of Cabo Corrientes. It was moving north at 5 mph.

Hurricane-force winds extended out 30 miles from Willa's center and tropical-storm force winds were up to 105 miles out.

The hurricane center said 6 to 12 inches of rain should fall – and some places could see up to 18 inches – on parts of Mexico’s western Jalisco, western Nayarit and southern Sinaloa states, raising the danger of flash flooding and landslides in mountainous areas.

Willa may spread heavy rain and the risk for flooding across central Mexico and into the southern United States later in the week and into next weekend.

Farther to the south, Tropical Storm Vicente weakened but was still expected to produce heavy rainfall and flooding over parts of southern and southwestern Mexico.

Forecasters said it was expected to weaken into a tropical depression Monday night or early Tuesday while moving nearer to Mexico’s southern Pacific shore.</s>As Hurricane Willa moves onshore as a major hurricane today in Mexico, its next move is already planned. The storm is on track to become the East Coast's first major Nor'easter of the season, bringing damaging winds, pounding surf and even some heavy, wet inland snow this weekend.

Currently located more than 2,000 miles away from New York City, Willa is making landfall today on the Pacific coast of Mexico, just south of the resort town of Mazatlan. Willa briefly hit Category 5 strength on Monday, becoming the third Category 5 storm of the Eastern Pacific season, which is now the most energetic on record.

Willa is carrying supercharged Pacific energy and even moisture from another tropical system, Vincente, as it slams ashore in Mexico. While the storm is forecast to lose strength as it crosses the mountains of Mexico, it will retain its identity as it moves towards Texas. And that is where the transition from tropical storm system to Nor'easter will begin. There will be some big impacts along the way.

In Texas, up to several inches of rain will fall on already saturated ground. Having endured major flooding in the Hill Country less than a week ago, Texans are preparing for round two Wednesday. This time the rain will not be nearly as heavy and it won't last as long. But flash flooding is a threat in localized downpours.

And that's just the beginning as the storm moves into the deep South.

On Thursday, strong thunderstorms will pound some of the same areas ravaged by Hurricane Michael. Torrential downpours and isolated tornadoes are possible from Louisiana to Mississippi, Alabama, northern Florida and Georgia. The largest threat for tornadoes will be the Florida Panhandle and South Georgia.

Then the system re-energizes. The remnants of Willa will merge with a cold front, round the corner and then hug the Eastern Seaboard, becoming a significant Nor'easter for all of the East Coast as we head into the weekend.

The storm will start to crank on Friday, bringing stormy weather to the Southeast U.S. Expect a cool and blustery rain for North and South Carolinas and Virginia. Westward across the Appalachians into Kentucky and Tennessee, a chilly wind will blow with heavy rain and temperatures staying in the 40s.

That raw weather will barrel up the Eastern Seaboard and make for a miserable Saturday in the Northeast. At this point the storm will be a full-fledged Nor'easter, and a very strong one for this early in the season. Gusts of 50-70 mph and ocean waves up to 20 feet will lash coastal areas from Virginia to New England. Coastal flooding is possible in normally vulnerable areas.

From Washington D.C. to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston, it will be a blustery, cold day with heavy, sideways rain and temperatures hovering in the 40s.

It's still early in the fall so most trees are still full of leaves. That's why the first Nor'easters of the season are notorious for falling trees and power lines.

Far inland temperatures may be just cold enough for the first measurable snow of the season. A few wet flakes will likely fall as far south as the Poconos and Northern New Jersey.

The snow will be heavier farther north, from the Catskills into the mountains of Northern New England. Some areas in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine could pick up a foot. The cement-like snow will weigh down power lines and, combined with gusty winds, may cause scattered power outages.

The weather will begin to improve Sunday as the Nor'easter moves away, but it will leave behind very cold and windy autumn weather for the start of Halloween week. Bundle up, trick-or-treaters!</s>Hurricane Willa strengthens into Category 3 storm as it heads for western Mexico

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hurricane Willa strengthens into Category 3 storm as it heads for western Mexico.</s>Hurricane Willa is nearing the Pacific coast of Mexico as a Category 4 storm, bringing the potential for life-threatening storm surge, wind and torrents of rain.

Willa weakened slightly Monday afternoon, but the National Hurricane Center warns it is still expected to be a dangerous major hurricane when it slams into Mexico’s central Pacific coast on Tuesday.

Willa’s maximum sustained winds ticked down from 160 mph to 150 mph, leaving the hurricane just shy of Category 5 strength. Its current intensity is about the same as Hurricane Michael’s when it made landfall in Florida’s Panhandle less than two weeks ago.

The National Hurricane Center has marveled over Willa’s “explosive” strengthening since it formed over the weekend. It became a tropical storm on Saturday morning and was a Category 5 hurricane in less than two days. As of Monday morning, Willa had swelled by 80 mph in just 24 hours.

Willa is located about 105 miles south-southwest of Islas Marias, an archipelago off central Mexico’s Pacific coast. The hurricane is moving north at 8 mph and is forecast to move “over or very near” Islas Marias early Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Landfall on mainland Mexico is expected Tuesday afternoon or evening.

Storm surge accompanied by “large and destructive waves” are forecast along portions of Mexico’s central and southwestern coast. Dangerous surf and riptides are expected along the southern coast of Baja California late Monday.

Rainfall ranging from 6 to 12 inches could spawn life-threatening landslides and flash flooding in portions of the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa.

The hurricane is on track to be one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the Pacific coast of Mexico and its landfall will come three years to the day after the strongest, Hurricane Patricia, made landfall one state to the south, in Jalisco.

Hurricane Patricia went from a Category 5 to Category 4 when it made landfall, but at its peak, Patricia had winds of 215 mph and was the strongest hurricane or typhoon ever observed anywhere on the planet.

Mother Nature may give Mexico a bit of a break with another storm currently right behind Hurricane Walla. Tropical Storm Vicente is also expected to impact the country Tuesday, but farther south than Walla, and the weakening system may dissipate by the time it gets there, the National Hurricane Center said.

The back-to-back systems have helped make the 2018 hurricane season in the northeast Pacific one for the record books.

The season is now the most active hurricane season on record using a measurement called “Accumulated Cyclone Energy,” which combines the number of storms and their intensity through their lifetimes to give an overall measurement of tropical activity in a given region.

2018 has seen 10 major hurricanes, including Willa, which ties 1992 as the most major hurricanes seen in the northeast Pacific in one year.

Increasing numbers of major hurricanes, along with a greater propensity of storms to undergo “rapid intensification” are expected consequences of warmer ocean waters resulting from climate change. The ocean waters off the western coast of Mexico are running 1-2 degrees Fahrenheit above average for late October.</s>Hurricane Willa is set to bring life-threatening storm surge, wind and heavy rainfall to areas of west-central and southwestern Mexico today. The dangerous weather system is forecast to reach mainland Tuesday afternoon or evening. Thousands of people have been evacuated, buildings boarded up and classes canceled on Mexico’s Pacific coast as Hurricane Willa threatens to batter popular tourist destinations including the resort town of Mazatlan. Forecast to be one of the most powerful hurricanes to enter Mexico from the Pacific in recent years, Willa is expected to strike a few miles south of Mazatlan.

Currently located about 80 miles southwest of Las Islas Marias, Mexico and 190 miles south-southwest of Mazatlan, Mexico, Hurricane Willa is moving forward at a speed of 9mph. According to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC), the dangerous hurricane’s maximum sustained winds have decreased from yesterdays 155 mph to 140 mph with higher gusts. The wind speed makes Hurricane Willa a Category 4 major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale. The NHC marveled over Willa's "explosive" strengthening since it formed over the weekend.

Dangerous Willa strengthened at an incredible rate and intensified from a tropical depression to a Category 4 hurricane in less than 48 hours this weekend. A hurricane warning has been put in effect from San Blas to Mazatlan, including Las Islas Marias. And a tropical storm warning has been posted for a stretch of shore between Playa Perula to San Blas and from the North of Mazatlan to Bahia Tempehuaya. The NHC urges interests elsewhere along the coasts of west-central and southwestern mainland Mexico to closely monitor the progress of Willa.

Hurricane Willa is expected to produce dangerous storm surge along the coast of southwestern Mexico. The surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Large swells generated by Willa will continue to affect portions of the coast of southwestern and west-central Mexico during the next few days. The swells should begin to affect portions of the coast of southern Baja California later today and are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Hurricane Willa hits the coast of Western Mexico. It is also expected to become a nor'easter after it passes through the United States.