Tropical Storm Rick has strengthened to a hurricane ahead of expected movement toward the southern coast of Mexico.
The National Hurricane Center said Saturday that Rick is expected to strengthen to a major hurricane by the time it reaches the coast.
The storm is expected to bring “life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds” from Tecpan de Galeana to Punta San Telmo. A hurricane warning is currently in effect for the region.
In an advisory, the NHC said the center of the hurricane was located about 185 miles south west of Apaulco, Mexico and about 205 miles south of Zihuatanejo.
The storm was moving north-northwest at seven miles per hour and had a maximum sustained winds near 80 miles an hour. However, “rapid strengthening” is forecasted over the next day.
The north-northwestward motion was expected over the next couple of days, with the center of the storm approaching the coast on Sunday and Sunday night.
The last storm to impact Mexico was Hurricane Pamela, which made landfall in the coastal state of Sinaloa on Oct. 13, AccuWeather noted.
The storm lost tropical characteristics before crossing into Texas, but the Lone Star State still dealt with flooding rainfall and multiple tornadoes as a result, the outlet noted.
