What Happens When a Hurricane Patricia Strikes the US
October 28, 2015
Hurricane Patricia was a record breaking storm that spared Mexico the worst by threading the needle between populated areas along the western coast. Even though Patricia was a super hurricane just before landfall with sustained winds estimated at 200 mph, the damages were relatively light due to the path of the storm. Total economic losses, as a result, will be in the billions rather than the tens of billions. Hurricane Patricia could have been a lot worse had it made landfall in a more populated region of Mexico. This report compares Patricia to past storms and examines the impacts of a storm like Patricia making landfall in a densely populated area of the US.