The "potentially catastrophic" Hurricane Patricia strengthened into a Category 5 storm late Thursday as it moved toward the coast of southwestern Mexico.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Patricia has maximum sustained winds of 260 kilometers per hour.
Hurricane warnings were posted from San Blas south to Lazaro Cardenas. The storm was predicted to make landfall by Friday evening,
Residents were being told to look out for life-threatening flash floods, mudslides and as much as 51 centimeters (more than 20 inches) of rain in some parts.