Hurricane Willa growing rapidly off Mexico’s Pacific coast

A newly formed hurricane rapidly gained force off Mexico’s Pacific coast Sunday, and forecasters said it could reach Category 4 status before hitting land by midweek. A hurricane watch was posted for a stretch of shore between San Blas and Mazatlan.

Hurricane Willa was about 270 miles south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes on Sunday morning with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Willa could become a major hurricane by Monday morning and near the coast by Tuesday night. It said the storm could produce dangerous storm surge, while dumping 5 to 10 inches of rain across parts of western Jalisco, western Nayarit and southern Sinaloa states, with lesser amounts falling as it moves inland.