Hurricane Erick is expected to strengthen rapidly into a major Category 3 storm, before making landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast on Thursday, Mexico's civil protection agency has said.

Erick was expected to reach hurricane strength as it neared land Wednesday. The cyclone was centered about 180 miles (290 kilometers) south-southeast of Puerto Ángel, Mexico, at 3 a.m. CST (0800 GMT), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.