Hurricane Erick strengthened in the Pacific Ocean and could become a major hurricane before striking Mexico, the National Hurricane Center warned.

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).

The hurricane had been a Category 4 storm as it bore down from the eastern Pacific toward Mexico. The authorities ordered evacuations in Oaxaca and Guerrero.