By Aida Pelaez-Fernandez MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Hurricane Erick was advancing rapidly near Mexico's southern Pacific coast as a Category 4 storm and was expected to make landfall on Thursday, authorities said,

The storm is expected to bring “life-threatening” rainfall, flooding and storm surges, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Erick became an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane early Thursday, as it crossed the Pacific Ocean en route to western Mexican two days after becoming a named storm.