Hurricane Patricia prompts Mexico travel warning, cancelled flights out of Calgary

Hurricane Patricia is making landfall in Mexico on Friday, and the Canadian government is warning travellers to steer clear of the massive storm.

The Category 5 hurricane is the strongest-ever recorded in the Western hemisphere, with maximum sustained winds near 325 km/h.

• 'Potentially catastrophic' Hurricane Patricia slams into Mexican coast

Canada's foreign affairs department is advising against non-essential travel to a stretch of Mexico's Pacific Coast that includes Puerto Vallarta.

Teams of police and civil protection were walking along Puerto Vallarta's waterfront, advising people to leave, earlier on Friday.

Sandra Neuman and her husband, Andrew Vlassie, spoke to CBC News from their boutique and restaurant near Bucerias before their power was cut on Friday morning.

"There's zero wind at all — I mean zero," said Neuman. "It's just really like the proverbial calm before the storm. There is no air movement."

The Canadian couple from Winnipeg says they believe they will be able to find safety, but have concerns for the Mexicans living in makeshift homes near them. Neuman says there is no evacuation yet in Bucerias, which is in a bay located north of Puerto Vallarta.

Rescue flights expected

A top civil protection official says that three airports in the path of Patricia in southwestern Mexico have been shut down as the storm approaches. 

Friday morning's 10:05 a.m. WestJet flight to Puerto Vallarta out of Calgary was cancelled.

WestJet has no flights in or out of Puerto Vallarta today, or tomorrow, and perhaps for the next few days depending on the damage, says public relations manager Robert Palmer.

He says WestJet will offer rescue flights as soon as they can, and will partner with other airlines. Two Sunwing flights are scheduled to arrive in Calgary on Saturday, as well as Air Transat and WesJet flights.

WestJet has 295 guests at 22 hotels in Puerto Vallarta, says Palmer.

He says guests should follow their hotels evacuation procedures so WestJet can track them for a safe return. People who were planning to fly to Mexico today are being advised to check their flights.