'Extremely dangerous' hurricane Erick looms over Mexico's Pacific coast

Hurricane Erick, now an extremely dangerous category 4 storm, was located very near Mexico's southern Pacific coast and is expected to make landfall on Thursday, authorities said.

The hurricane was located about 85km southeast of Punta Maldonado, in the Mexican state of Guerrero, packing maximum sustained winds of 220km/h, the US National Hurricane Center said in a report.

“Hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning area beginning during the next few hours, with extremely destructive winds near the core of Erick,” NHC said in the early hours of Thursday.

A hurricane warning is in effect between the tourist enclaves of Acapulco and Puerto Angel, as there was no certainty on the exact location where the storm will make landfall.

“The hurricane is expected to impact during Thursday morning as a powerful category 4 hurricane between Lagunas de Cha-cha, Oaxaca, and Punta Maldonado, Guerrero,” the Mexican ministry of environment said.

Scientists have warned that Erick could become the most intense hurricane to make landfall along Mexico's Pacific coast this early in the season.

Reuters