Patricia's storm punch weakens as Texas braces for floods

Patricia, which peaked as the strongest hurricane on record, weakened Saturday to a low pressure area, leaving people in Mexico to assess the damage from heavy rain and putting coastal Texas on alert for dangerous flash flooding.

Although the storm appeared to leave remarkably little damage as it moved rapidly inland over mountainous western Mexico, authorities were warning it could still cause deadly floods and mudslides.

Right now Patricia also threatens Texas, with forecasters saying the moisture will likely feed heavy rains already soaking the state.

• El Nino will be a hurricane slayer, forecasters predict
• Hurricane Patricia lashes Mexico coast, weakens as it moves inland

The greatest risk is currently over central and southeast Texas, where they're expecting rainfall totals of 120-250 millimetres. Rainfall rates of 50-100 mm per hour will be more than enough to cause rapid runoff and flash flooding.

"The moisture on the satellite pictures is starting to be spread all the way into Texas and the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, where a newly formed system is taking place," said Jean-Marc Couturier, meteorologist for the Canadian Hurricane Centre.

Couturier said moisture from the newly formed system over the Gulf will "trickle toward the Lower Great Lakes" and could bring rain to that region as well as southern Quebec and the western Maritimes by midweek.

Patricia's most powerful punch hit a sparsely populated stretch of Mexico's Pacific Coast before the system crashed into mountains that sapped its potentially catastrophic force. It avoided direct hits on the resort city of Puerto Vallarta and major port city of Manzanillo.

Where Patricia did come ashore, residents described howling winds that toppled trees and telephone posts as the sea crashed into hotels, scooping beach away from their foundations. 

"The waves were coming into the hotel," said Domingo Hernandez, a watchman at the Hotel Barra de Navidad in the resort village of the same name in Jalisco state.

"All the streets here in town are full of downed trees all over the place," said Hernandez. "You have to make your way around all the downed telephone poles, the power lines, the trees."

There were no reports of deaths or injuries, said Roberto Lopez Lara, interior secretary for the state of Jalisco.

Storm skirted larger coastal cities

The major port city of Manzanillo avoided a direct hit by the storm as it came ashore.

Puerto Vallarta also heaved a collective sigh of relief Saturday morning to find itself largely unscathed. People there snapped selfies next to a sculpture overlooking the sea and business owners swept sidewalks. There were puddles downtown, but nothing more than a passing thunderstorm might leave.

"Fortunately, nothing happened here," said Maximiliano Macedo of Puerto Vallarta, who strolled down the waterfront arm in arm with his wife.

U.S. tourist Brandie Galle, who was staying in Puerto Vallarta, said some people desperate to leave paid $400 for taxis to drive them the 200 kilometres to the inland city of Guadalajara.

The airports in Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and Tepic were closed Friday, but officials announced an air bridge Saturday to ferry stranded travellers out of areas hit by the storm.

Patricia formed suddenly Tuesday as a tropical storm and by Friday -was the most powerful recorded hurricane to hit the hemisphere, with a central pressure of 880 millibars and maximum sustained winds of 325 km/h, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

"The story of this hurricane has been one of speed," said CBC's Kim Brunhuber, reporting from Mexico City. "It caught authorities by surprise because it grew so quickly and fell apart just as quickly."

Canada 'stands ready' to help

In Ottawa, prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau issued a statement in response to events unfolding in Mexico.

• Thousands of Canadians warned about risks in wake of Hurricane Patricia
• Canada warns against travel to Mexico as Hurricane Patricia approaches
• Graphic: Hurricane Patricia's track as it approaches landfall

"Canadians' thoughts are with the Mexican people as they face the torrential rain, strong winds, and flooding caused by Hurricane Patricia. Mexicans, and any Canadians, in vulnerable areas are being encouraged by authorities to move to safer locations.

Earlier, Foreign Affairs spokesman John Babcock said in a news release the government was advising against all travel to the coast of Mexico from San Blas to Lazaro Cardenas. Babcock estimated there could be as many as 2,000 Canadians in the affected area, in the coastal state of Jalisco.

In Texasa, almost all of the state's 27 million people are now under a flood watch.

The U.S. National Weather Service said a flash flood watch would be in effect through Sunday morning for Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio.

Galveston was under a coastal flood advisory until Saturday night.