Fernandez MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Hurricane Erick is rapidly strengthening off Mexico's Pacific coast and is expected to intensify into a major Category 3 hurricane before making landfall, authorities said on Wednesday.

Up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain could fall across the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, with lighter amounts in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. The rainfall threatened flooding and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain.