Willa has made landfall in Western Mexico yesterday evening as a Cat 3 with sustained winds of 195 kmph.
The storm has been characterized as life-threatening and potentially disastrous by the forecasters and the residents have been warned to exercise caution.
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Willa, a Cat 5 hurricane, though for a short instance, weakened into Cat 4 due to increasing wind shear.
The storm, however still has the power to cause devastating impact in terms of heavy rain, flash floods and mudslides over west-central Pacific Coast of Mexico causing widespread tree damage, power outages, and structural damage.
The worst storm surge is expected near south of Willa's landfall location along the Mexico coast. More than 450 mm of rain is likely to lash pockets of the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa.
A hurricane warning is in effect from San Blas to Mazatlan, including Las Islas Marias. A tropical storm warning is in effect from Playa Perula to San Blas and from north of Mazatlan to Bahia Tempehuaya.
Willa is most likely to weaken rapidly during the next 12 hours as it moves further inland in a northeast direction. It is anticipated that the storm might not affect the US territory.
This year, there have been 10 major hurricanes including Willa, surpassing 1992 as the year of most major hurricanes in the northeast Pacific in a single year.
Image Credit: CIMSS
