Patricia Turns Into Category 4 Hurricane

Hurricane Patricia Strengthens Into Dangerous Category 4 Storm

MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Patricia strengthened into an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm on Thursday as it churned toward Mexico's Pacific coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The storm, which became a hurricane overnight, had maximum sustained winds of about 130 miles per hour as it moved toward the west-northwest at 17 mph.

Hurricane Patricia strengthened into an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm on Thursday as it churned toward Mexico's Pacific coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. NOAA

Patricia was last located about 275 miles south of the port of Manzanillo, where a hurricane warning had been issued. A tropical storm warning was in effect for the tourist resort of Puerto Vallarta.

The storm was expected to gain more strength before making landfall in the hurricane warning area by Friday afternoon or evening, the Miami-based hurricane center said.

The projected path of the hurricane as of Thursday afternoon. National Hurricane Center

Mexican emergency officials began to prepare shelters and warned people in the states of Colima, Jalisco and Michoacan to get ready for torrential rainfalls.

None of the major installations of Mexican state oil giant Pemex lie in the projected path of the storm, officials said.

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