Mexico braces for strongest hurricane in Western hemisphere

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Residents and tourists were hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a “potentially catastrophic landfall” later in the day.
MORE | Track Hurricane Patricia
The storm was homing in on a Pacific coastline dotted with sleepy fishing villages and gleaming resorts, inclu