Hurricane Erick Strengthens to a Category 3 Storm as it nears Mexico's Pacific coast

Hurricane Erick has intensified into a Category 3 major hurricane threatening approaching southern Mexico’s coast with destructive winds and heavy rain, the U.S. Hurricane Center said Wednesday evening.

The Miami-based center warned Erick has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) after hours of rapid intensification, strengthening from a Category 1 storm earlier in the day.

The cyclone is in the eastern Pacific about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south-southwest of Puerto Angel in Mexico. It’s also about 160 miles (260 kilometers) southeast of Punta Maldonado and moving northwest at 9 mph (15 kph), the latest hurricane center advisory said.