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Residents get into a public bus in the rain in Guadalajara, Mexico, Oct. 23, 2015. Hurricane Patricia, one of the most powerful storms on record, struck Mexico's Pacific coast on Friday with destructive winds that tore down trees, moved cars and forced thousands of people to flee homes and beachfront resorts. With winds of 160 miles per hour, the Category 5 hurricane had western Mexico on high alert, with the popular resort of Puerto Vallarta and others on the coast opening emergency shelters as hotels were closed. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

Hurricane Patricia, the strongest hurricane every recorded, slammed Mexico’s Pacific coast Friday night, wreaking havoc on locals and tourists, CNN reported. The superstorm’s 165 mph winds and rain pounded small fishing villages and cushy resorts, including Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo.

"The hurricane is so big and so intense that it has the capacity to pass over both the Sierra Madres in our country -- that is, through our most mountainous ranges -- and then exit the country on the other side into the north part of the Gulf of Mexico and possibly the United States," Conagua director Robert Ramirez de la Parra said, CNN reported. Conagua is Mexico's national weather service.

Patricia hit the coast of southwestern Mexico as a Category 5 hurricane, making it capable of causing catastrophic wind damage, Weather.com reported. The storm was predicted to dump eight to 12 inches over the Mexican states of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero, and life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides were possible.

People hunkered down in shelters dotting the coastline as extreme winds whipped palm trees and torrential rain soaked the area. Photos recently began circulating online, showing the catastrophe caused by the horrific storm.

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