Radar footage shared late Tuesday night showed the absolutely insane size of Hurricane Lidia as she made her way through the eastern Pacific.
Hurricane Lidia erupted from a moderately-sized Category 1 storm to a Cat. 4 within just 9.5 hours, according to meteorologist Colin McCarthy. Lidia made landfall slightly south of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, late Tuesday evening, with sustained 140-mph wind speeds.
“Lidia has the potential to be one of the strongest landfalling Pacific hurricanes in Mexico’s history,” McCarthy followed up in another tweet.
Hurricane #Lidia is one of the fastest intensifying hurricanes you will ever see.
Lidia went from a Category 1 to a Category 4 storm in just 9.5 hours before making landfall with 140 mph winds, just south of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico this evening. pic.twitter.com/R4oZIJ6A2T
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) October 11, 2023
Footage of flooding from Lidia in Jalisco circulated online, showing deep waters within residential and commercial areas. In one part of the video, you can clearly see vehicles being swept away by the floodwaters.
Hurricane #Lidia causes major flash flooding in Jalisco, Mexico pic.twitter.com/bwikpOUlMS
— Zoom Earth (@zoom_earth) October 11, 2023
At least one person was killed during the storm after a tree fell on the car he had been driving through the state of Nayarit, AFP reported. Some 6,000 members of Mexico’s armed forces were sent to the Pacific coastal region to help mitigate the worst impacts, and to help with rescue and rebuild operations. (RELATED: As Hurricane Flooding Recedes, Dinosaur-Like Fish Appears)
Schools suspended classes and businesses closed early as residents waited out the worst, according to the outlet. Thankfully, Lidia has already slowed her roll and is being downgraded at the time of writing. The National Hurricane service shared its last update on the storm Wednesday at 5 a.m.