As Hurricane Willa moves onshore as a major hurricane today in Mexico, its next move is already planned. The storm is on track to become the East Coast's first major Nor'easter of the season, bringing damaging winds, pounding surf and even some heavy, wet inland snow this weekend.

Currently located more than 2,000 miles away from New York City, Willa is making landfall today on the Pacific coast of Mexico, just south of the resort town of Mazatlan. Willa briefly hit Category 5 strength on Monday, becoming the third Category 5 storm of the Eastern Pacific season, which is now the most energetic on record.

Willa is carrying supercharged Pacific energy and even moisture from another tropical system, Vincente, as it slams ashore in Mexico. While the storm is forecast to lose strength as it crosses the mountains of Mexico, it will retain its identity as it moves towards Texas. And that is where the transition from tropical storm system to Nor'easter will begin. There will be some big impacts along the way.

In Texas, up to several inches of rain will fall on already saturated ground. Having endured major flooding in the Hill Country less than a week ago, Texans are preparing for round two Wednesday. This time the rain will not be nearly as heavy and it won't last as long. But flash flooding is a threat in localized downpours.

And that's just the beginning as the storm moves into the deep South.

On Thursday, strong thunderstorms will pound some of the same areas ravaged by Hurricane Michael. Torrential downpours and isolated tornadoes are possible from Louisiana to Mississippi, Alabama, northern Florida and Georgia. The largest threat for tornadoes will be the Florida Panhandle and South Georgia.

Then the system re-energizes. The remnants of Willa will merge with a cold front, round the corner and then hug the Eastern Seaboard, becoming a significant Nor'easter for all of the East Coast as we head into the weekend.

The storm will start to crank on Friday, bringing stormy weather to the Southeast U.S. Expect a cool and blustery rain for North and South Carolinas and Virginia. Westward across the Appalachians into Kentucky and Tennessee, a chilly wind will blow with heavy rain and temperatures staying in the 40s.

That raw weather will barrel up the Eastern Seaboard and make for a miserable Saturday in the Northeast. At this point the storm will be a full-fledged Nor'easter, and a very strong one for this early in the season. Gusts of 50-70 mph and ocean waves up to 20 feet will lash coastal areas from Virginia to New England. Coastal flooding is possible in normally vulnerable areas.

From Washington D.C. to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston, it will be a blustery, cold day with heavy, sideways rain and temperatures hovering in the 40s.

It's still early in the fall so most trees are still full of leaves. That's why the first Nor'easters of the season are notorious for falling trees and power lines.

Far inland temperatures may be just cold enough for the first measurable snow of the season. A few wet flakes will likely fall as far south as the Poconos and Northern New Jersey.

The snow will be heavier farther north, from the Catskills into the mountains of Northern New England. Some areas in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine could pick up a foot. The cement-like snow will weigh down power lines and, combined with gusty winds, may cause scattered power outages.

The weather will begin to improve Sunday as the Nor'easter moves away, but it will leave behind very cold and windy autumn weather for the start of Halloween week. Bundle up, trick-or-treaters! </s> Forecasters say Hurricane Willa has grown rapidly into a "potentially catastrophic" Category 5 storm in the eastern Pacific, on a path toward Mexico’s western coast.

Landfall is predicted for late Tuesday or early Wednesday, likely as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said.

The center said that Willa is expected to “produce life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall over portions of southwestern and west-central Mexico beginning on Tuesday.” It will also spawn life-threatening surf and rip conditions.

"Willa is expected to make landfall about 40-60 miles south of Mazatlan, Mexico," said AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.

A hurricane warning was posted for Mexico’s western coast between San Blas and Mazatlan. Tropical storm warnings were raised from Playa Perula to San Blas and north of Mazatlan to Bahia Tempehuaya. The center said Willa is expected make landfall late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

Willa had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph Monday morning and was centered about 135 miles southwest of Cabo Corrientes. It was moving north at 5 mph.

Hurricane-force winds extended out 30 miles from Willa's center and tropical-storm force winds were up to 105 miles out.

The hurricane center said 6 to 12 inches of rain should fall – and some places could see up to 18 inches – on parts of Mexico’s western Jalisco, western Nayarit and southern Sinaloa states, raising the danger of flash flooding and landslides in mountainous areas.

Willa may spread heavy rain and the risk for flooding across central Mexico and into the southern United States later in the week and into next weekend.

Farther to the south, Tropical Storm Vicente weakened but was still expected to produce heavy rainfall and flooding over parts of southern and southwestern Mexico.

Forecasters said it was expected to weaken into a tropical depression Monday night or early Tuesday while moving nearer to Mexico’s southern Pacific shore. </s> MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Hurricane Willa gained dangerous strength early on Monday as it churned toward Mexico’s Pacific coast, an area frequented by tourists, with torrential rain and major flooding in the offing, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The Miami-based NHC upgraded Willa to a powerful Category 4 storm on the 5-step Saffir-Simpson scale as it unleashed maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (250 kmh) - just 2 mph shy of being designated a devastating Category 5 hurricane.

Willa was expected to hit Mexico’s west coast on Tuesday afternoon or evening.

The hurricane “continues to rapidly strengthen,” the NHC said in an advisory, adding that Willa would probably trigger a life-threatening surge in Pacific tides.

By early Monday, the storm was located about 175 miles (285 km) southwest of Cabo Corrientes on the coast of Jalisco state.

The NHC estimated that total rainfall would range from 5 to 15 inches (12.5 cm to 38.1 cm) across stretches of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa states, home to the white sand beach resorts of Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Vicente, which formed in the Pacific off southern Mexico on Saturday, began to weaken while hovering along the southern Mexican coast on Sunday and by early Monday was located about 195 miles (310 km) southeast of Acapulco.

It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph)

and the center of the storm would likely remain just offshore or near the southern coast of Mexico through Tuesday morning, according to the NHC.

Vicente is seen weakening to tropical depression status by Monday night, but could still cause significant rainfall. </s> Hurricane Willa is nearing the Pacific coast of Mexico as a Category 4 storm, bringing the potential for life-threatening storm surge, wind and torrents of rain.

Willa weakened slightly Monday afternoon, but the National Hurricane Center warns it is still expected to be a dangerous major hurricane when it slams into Mexico’s central Pacific coast on Tuesday.

Willa’s maximum sustained winds ticked down from 160 mph to 150 mph, leaving the hurricane just shy of Category 5 strength. Its current intensity is about the same as Hurricane Michael’s when it made landfall in Florida’s Panhandle less than two weeks ago.

The National Hurricane Center has marveled over Willa’s “explosive” strengthening since it formed over the weekend. It became a tropical storm on Saturday morning and was a Category 5 hurricane in less than two days. As of Monday morning, Willa had swelled by 80 mph in just 24 hours.

Willa is located about 105 miles south-southwest of Islas Marias, an archipelago off central Mexico’s Pacific coast. The hurricane is moving north at 8 mph and is forecast to move “over or very near” Islas Marias early Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Landfall on mainland Mexico is expected Tuesday afternoon or evening.

Storm surge accompanied by “large and destructive waves” are forecast along portions of Mexico’s central and southwestern coast. Dangerous surf and riptides are expected along the southern coast of Baja California late Monday.

Rainfall ranging from 6 to 12 inches could spawn life-threatening landslides and flash flooding in portions of the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa.

The hurricane is on track to be one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the Pacific coast of Mexico and its landfall will come three years to the day after the strongest, Hurricane Patricia, made landfall one state to the south, in Jalisco.

Hurricane Patricia went from a Category 5 to Category 4 when it made landfall, but at its peak, Patricia had winds of 215 mph and was the strongest hurricane or typhoon ever observed anywhere on the planet.

Mother Nature may give Mexico a bit of a break with another storm currently right behind Hurricane Walla. Tropical Storm Vicente is also expected to impact the country Tuesday, but farther south than Walla, and the weakening system may dissipate by the time it gets there, the National Hurricane Center said.

The back-to-back systems have helped make the 2018 hurricane season in the northeast Pacific one for the record books.

The season is now the most active hurricane season on record using a measurement called “Accumulated Cyclone Energy,” which combines the number of storms and their intensity through their lifetimes to give an overall measurement of tropical activity in a given region.

2018 has seen 10 major hurricanes, including Willa, which ties 1992 as the most major hurricanes seen in the northeast Pacific in one year.

Increasing numbers of major hurricanes, along with a greater propensity of storms to undergo “rapid intensification” are expected consequences of warmer ocean waters resulting from climate change. The ocean waters off the western coast of Mexico are running 1-2 degrees Fahrenheit above average for late October. </s> The Miami-based center upgraded the menacing storm to a powerful Category 4 storm on the 5-step Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale as it lashed out maximum sustained winds of about 130 miles per hour (209 km).

Willa is expected to come ashore on Tuesday afternoon or evening.

The hurricane "continues to rapidly strengthen," the NHC said in an advisory, adding that Willa will likely produce a life-threatening storm surge.

By Sunday afternoon, the storm was located about 225 miles (362 km) southwest of Cabo Corrientes, on the coast of Jalisco state.

The hurricane center estimates that total rainfall will range between 5 inches and 15 inches (12.5 cm to 38.1 cm) across stretches of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa states, home to Mexican white sand beach resorts of Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Vicente, which formed in the Pacific off southern Mexico on Saturday, began to weaken as it hovered along the coast of southern Mexico on Sunday, located about 230 miles (370 km) southeast of Acapulco. </s> MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Hurricane Willa surged to a dangerous Category Four storm on Sunday (Oct 21) off Mexico's Pacific coast, United States forecasters said.

"Extremely dangerous... Hurricane Willa continues to rapidly strengthen (and is) forecast to produce life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall over portions of south-western and west-central Mexico, beginning on Tuesday," the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) warned.

The monster storm was 365km south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, packing top sustained winds of 220kmh.

It was churning forward north-northwest, at a slow 9kmh, the forecast said.

"Additional strengthening is expected during the next day or so, and Willa is forecast to be a dangerous hurricane when it reaches the coast of Mexico," the NHC said.

Mexico's government has put various parts of the coast on alert. </s> This image provided by NOAA on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018, shows Hurricane Willa in the eastern Pacific, on a path to smash into Mexico’s western coast. (NOAA via AP)

Hurricane Willa grew into a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm and swept toward Mexico’s Pacific coast with winds of 160 mph (260 kph) Monday, threatening a stretch of high-rise resort hotels, surfing beaches and fishing villages.

The hurricane was expected to pass over or near the Islas Marias — a set of islands about 60 miles offshore that include a nature preserve and a federal prison — early Tuesday, then blow ashore in the afternoon or the evening between the resort town of Mazatlan and San Blas, a distance of about 140 miles (220 km).

It was projected to weaken somewhat before hitting land but was still expected to be extremely dangerous.

The governments of Sinaloa and Nayarit states ordered coastal region schools to close and began preparing emergency shelters.

READ MORE: Hurricane Michael left path of destruction, isn’t done yet

Mazatlan, with a metropolitan-area population of about 500,000, is a popular vacation spot. It is closer to the U.S. than most other Pacific resorts and home to a large number of American and Canadian expatriates.

The hurricane’s projected track also included Esquinapa, a town a few miles inland with almost 60,000 people in and around it.

As of midday Monday, Willa was centred about 135 miles (215 kilometres) south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes and was moving at 7 mph (11 kph).

Hurricane-force winds extended 30 miles (45 kilometres) from the storm’s centre, and tropical storm-force winds were up to 105 miles (1650 kilometres) out.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that Willa could bring 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimetres) of rain — with up to 18 inches (45 centimetres) in some places — to parts of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa states, with flash flooding and landslides possible in mountainous areas.

Farther to the south, Tropical Storm Vicente weakened but was still expected to produce heavy rainfall and flooding over parts of southern and southwestern Mexico.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. </s> MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Willa grew into a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm and swept toward Mexico's Pacific coast with winds of 160 mph (260 kph) Monday, threatening a stretch of high-rise resort hotels, surfing beaches and fishing villages.

The hurricane was expected to pass over or near the Islas Marias — a set of islands about 60 miles offshore that include a nature preserve and a federal prison — early Tuesday, then blow ashore in the afternoon or the evening somewhere along a 140-mile (220-kilometre) section extending from the resort town of Mazatlan to San Blas.

It was projected to weaken somewhat before hitting land but was still expected to be extremely dangerous.

The governments of Sinaloa and Nayarit states ordered coastal region schools to close and began preparing emergency shelters.

Mazatlan, with a metropolitan-area population of about 500,000, is a popular vacation spot. It is closer to the U.S. than most other Pacific resorts and home to a large number of American and Canadian expatriates.

The hurricane's projected track also included Esquinapa, a town a few miles inland with almost 60,000 people in and around it.

As of midday Monday, Willa was centred about 120 miles (190 kilometres) southwest of Cabo Corrientes and was moving north at 7 mph (11 kph).

Hurricane-force winds extended 30 miles (45 kilometres) from the storm's centre, and tropical storm-force winds were up to 105 miles (165 kilometres) out.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that Willa could bring 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimetres) of rain — with up to 18 inches (45 centimetres) in some places — to parts of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa states, with flash flooding and landslides possible in mountainous areas.

Farther to the south, Tropical Storm Vicente weakened but was still expected to produce heavy rainfall and flooding over parts of southern and southwestern Mexico. </s> Hurricane Willa is expected to produce life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall over portions of west-central and southwestern Mexico. Willa is currently located about 195 miles south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico and is presently moving northward at a speed of 5 mph. According to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC), the dangerous hurricane’s maximum sustained winds have increased to near 155 mph with higher gusts. The strength makes Willa an extremely powerful category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Willa has strengthened at an incredible rate, intensifying from a tropical depression to a category 4 hurricane in less than 48 hours. And the hurricane is still strengthening, according to NHC’s latest forecast advisory. Hurricane Willa is expected to produce dangerous storm surge along the coast of southwestern Mexico by late Tuesday or early Wednesday. The surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.

Large swells generated by Willa will continue to affect portions of the coast of southwestern and west-central Mexico during the next few days. In addition, Hurricane Willa is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of six to 12 inches, with local amounts up to 18 inches across portions of western Jalisco, western Nayarit, and southern Sinaloa in Mexico. According to the NHC, this rainfall will cause “life-threatening flash flooding and landslides.” A hurricane warning has been posted for a stretch of shore between San Blas and Mazatlan, including Las Islas Marias.

And a tropical storm warning is in effect for Playa Perula to San Blas and north of Mazatlan to Bahia Tempehuaya. Hurricane conditions are expected within the hurricane warning area by late Tuesday, with tropical storm conditions expected by Tuesday morning. Tropical storm conditions are expected within the tropical storm warning areas tonight and Tuesday. The NHC urges interests elsewhere along the coasts to monitor the progress of Willa.
Hurricane Willa hits the coast of Western Mexico. It is also expected to become a nor'easter after it passes through the United States.