Hurricane Erick strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday afternoon as it churns in the Pacific Ocean near coastal southern Mexico, forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Erick had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph).

Hurricane Erick, which rapidly intensified overnight, made landfall Thursday morning on Mexico's Pacific Coast as a powerful Category 3 storm, authorities said.

Authorities in southern Mexico were still assessing damage and watching rising rivers as rain from the remnants of Hurricane Erick doused the region