Mexico City, Oct 24 (AP) Hurricane Rick gathered force Saturday off Mexico's southern Pacific coast and is forecast to hit reach land by Monday as a Category 3 storm.

The US National Hurricane Center said Rick may become a major hurricane with winds as high as 120 miles per hour (195 kph) before hitting land somewhere between the seaport of Lazaro Cardenas and Manzanillo.

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The hurricane was located about 195 miles (315 kilometers) south of the coastal resort of Zihuatanejo.

The storm had winds of 85 mph (135 kph), and was moving north-northwest at 7 mph (11 kph). The center warned Rick could produce flash flooding and mudslides.

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It was expected to hit along a stretch of coast west of Zihuatanejo that holds no resorts but includes two major seaports and mountainous terrain that in the past has been very vulnerable to flash flooding and mudslides.

A hurricane warning was in effect for points west of Acapulco all along the coast to Punta San Telmo. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)