Hurricane Erick rapidly intensified over the last 24 hours, growing into a powerful Category 4 storm but weakening slightly before making landfall.

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.

Tropical Storm Erick is expected to rapidly intensify into a hurricane this week, with some meteorologists anticipating it will reach major hurricane status before making landfall in Mexico on Thursday morning.