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- Currently in the Twin Cities — October 25, 2023: A break in the rain, and then more rain
Currently in the Twin Cities — October 25, 2023: A break in the rain, and then more rain
Plus, Hurricane Otis makes landfall in Mexico as a Category 5.
Sven Sundgaard & Eric Holthaus
October 25, 2023
The weather, currently.
A break in the rain, and then more rain
We get a dry break for the most part during the day Wednesday. We should continue to be relatively mild with highs in the low 60s. Round two of rain starts up Wednesday night and will persist on and off into Thursday night. At that same time, colder air will seep into northwest Minnesota creating snow there.
Several inches of snow are possible in the northwest most counties of the state into early Friday. Cold air arrives for all by the weekend. Highs will be in the 30s & 40s this weekend with frigid wind chills. We are likely to see at least some snow showers Saturday.
What you need to know, currently.
Hurricane Otis made landfall early Wednesday near Acapulco, Mexico at Category 5 strength — the strongest hurricane landfall in recorded history on Mexico’s west coast — and the strongest ever in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Initial reports show a partial collapse of a shopping mall, and palm trees stripped completely bare of leaves due to the strong winds. The city has almost completely lost power. The National Hurricane Center, in its final advisory before the storm struck, called it a “nightmare scenario.”
According to the Washington Post (gift link), Otis strengthened from a Category 1 to a Category 5 in just 12 hours — the fastest rate ever recorded for a hurricane in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and one of the fastest rates in world history.
The 24-hour rapid intensification of #Otis is in rare air.
Otis (2023; EP): 95 kts -- Prelim
Ambali (2020: SI): 100 kts
Hagibis (2019; WP): 100 kts
Ernie (2017; SI): 95 kts
Patricia (2015; EP): 105 kts
Wilma (2005; NA): 95 kts
Karen (1962; WP): 100 kts
Vera (1959; WP): 105 kts— Steve Bowen (@SteveBowenWx)
3:26 AM • Oct 25, 2023
Before Otis, no hurricane stronger than a Category 1 had ever made landfall near Acapulco in recorded history, and the storm’s extremely rapid intensification mean residents and visitors there had less than 24 hours warning before Otis made landfall. On a personal note, it’s hard to imagine going to bed expecting some rain and strong winds, and waking up to a city in catastrophic chaos.
Around the world, warming ocean waters are making extremely rapid intensification of tropical cyclones like Otis more likely. There have been only eight instances of storms strengthening as fast as Otis in recorded history (with comprehensive records dating back more than 70 years) — five of them have occurred in just the past 8 years.
What you can do, currently.
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