Storm Lorena became a category one hurricane off Mexico’s Pacific coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said, as heavy rains and high winds were making their way inland.
Lorena is about 55 km south west of Manzanillo, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of (120 kph, the NHC said in an update.
“Maximum sustained winds have increased,” the NHC said. “Additional strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days.”
Lorena is expected to approach southern Baja California by Friday night and Saturday, the Miami-based weather forecaster said.
The Mexican government said in a statement that it expected intense rain fall of between 150 and 250 litres per square meter in the states of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero, as well as to a lesser extent in Nayarit.
