Patricia, Strongest Landfalling Pacific Hurricane on Record, Downgraded to Tropical Depression (FORECAST)

Former Hurricane Patricia was downgraded to a tropical depression Saturday morning just 16 hours after becoming the strongest hurricane ever known to make landfall on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Patricia is expected to dissipate over the high mountain terrain of Mexico later Saturday, but it will add moisture to an already dangerous flooding situation in Texas.

Earlier Friday, Patricia became the most powerful tropical cyclone ever measured in the Western Hemisphere as its maximum sustained winds reached an unprecedented 200 mph (320 kph) and its central pressure fell to 879 millibars (25.96 inches of mercury).

(MORE: Mexico Prepares for Patricia)

At 10 a.m. CDT Saurday, the center of Tropical Depression Patricia was located 95 miles (155 km) northeast of Zacatecas, Mexico, and was moving toward the north-northeast at 24 mph (39 kph). Maximum sustained winds were 35 mph, a decrease of 40 mph from the 4 a.m. advisory, when it was still a hurricane.

The eye of Hurricane Patricia made landfall Friday at 6:15 p.m. CDT near Cuixmala in Jalisco state of southwest Mexico. Maximum sustained winds at landfall were estimated at 165 mph, still firmly within the Category 5 range on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

An automated weather observation site in Cuixmala reported a 185-mph wind with a gust of 211 mph at the time of landfall, but NOAA cautioned that these measurements have not been evaluated for quality or calibration.

The landfall point was about 60 miles (96 km) northwest of Manzanillo, where tropical storm-force winds likely occurred.

Patricia's Landfall

An enhanced satellite image showing Category 5 Hurricane Patricia at landfall near Cuixmala, Mexico at 6:15 p.m. CDT, Oct. 23, 2015. 

In addition to its unprecedented 200-mph (320-kph) sustained winds earlier Friday, Hurricane Patricia now holds the record for lowest pressure in any hurricane on record. With a minimum central pressure of 880 millibars (25.99 inches of mercury) at the 4 a.m. CDT advisory, Patricia broke the record of 882 millibars set by Wilma in the Atlantic Basin almost exactly 10 years ago. Around 1 p.m. CDT Friday, the minimum central pressure reached its lowest point, 879 millibars (25.96 inches of mercury).

Data from an Air Force Hurricane Hunter airborne reconnaissance mission late Thursday night provided critical data demonstrating the extreme intensification of Hurricane Patricia in near-real time. A new NOAA reconnaissance aircraft reached the eye of Patricia early Friday afternoon to gather additional direct measurements of the storm's intensity.