[Breaking news update, 11:12 p.m. ET]
Hurricane Patricia, churning in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico, has increased in strength to Category 5, the National Hurricane Center said late Thursday. “Satellite images indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 160 mph (260 kph) with higher gusts,” the hurricane center said.
[Previous story, published Thursday, 10:29 p.m. ET]
(CNN) — Hurricane Patricia churned toward southwestern Mexico on Thursday, packing 150 mph winds.
The Category 4 storm, which could intensify before it makes landfall Friday, is “extremely dangerous,” forecasters from the National Hurricane Center warned.
“Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion today,” the center’s latest advisory said.
As of 8 p.m. ET, the storm was about 225 miles (360 kilometers) south of Manzanillo, Mexico, moving northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).
A hurricane warning is in effect on Mexico’s Pacific Coast from San Blas to Punta San Telmo, an area that includes the resort cities of Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo.
Officials in the states of Jalisco and Colima said they were canceling schoolas the storm neared.
Patricia is expected to bring heavy rainfall, destructive waves and powerful winds, forecasters said.