Hurricane Willa Makes Landfall in Western Mexico

Major Hurricane Willa made landfall near Isla Del Bosque, Sinaloa, or about 10 miles south of Escuinapa, Mexico Tuesday evening. The storm officially moved inland around 7 p.m. local time. Maximum sustained winds at landfall were estimated to be 120 miles per hour and the central minimum pressure of the storm was estimated to be 965 millibars. A Mexican weather station near Marismas Nacionales reported a wind gust to 95 miles per hour. At landfall, Willa was moving north-northeast around 10 miles per hour. On the forecast track, Willa is expected to rapidly weaken Wednesday to a remnant low. Willa brought dangerous storm surge with large and destructive waves to the southwestern Mexico coast Tuesday. The storm is expected to produce storm total rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches with local amounts to 18 inches. The moisture associated with Willa is already moving into the southern United States. In Texas, flash flood watches have been issued for the potential of flooding rains on Wednesday. Willa was the 21st named storm of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season. Three other tropical depressions formed this year, which never became a named storm. The hurricane season lasts into November, but quickly quiets down during that time. As of this writing, there are no other systems brewing in the Eastern Pacific. For WeatherNation, Meteorologist Steve Glazier