Hurricane Dora strengthened to a major hurricane, growing into a category 4 storm on a five-level scale, about 400 kilometres off the Pacific coast of Mexico, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Hurricane Dora recorded winds of 215 kilometres per hour at its centre late Wednesday and was moving in a north-westerly direction, parallel to the Mexican coast, the Miami-based centre said.
It was unlikely to be making landfall in the coming days, the agency said. Coastal authorities in central Mexico have issued warnings of high waves and heavy rain.
In southern Mexico and neighbouring Guatemala, heavy rains attributed to the storm have caused landslides and flooding.