'Extremely dangerous' Hurricane Lidia takes aim at Mexico's Pacific coast

MEXICO

CITY:

Hurricane Lidia

strengthened further on Tuesday as it barrels towards Mexico's

Pacific coast

, where major beach resorts popular with tourists face a significant downpour, likely flooding as well as imminent hurricane-force winds.
The US National Hurricane Center (

NHC

) described Lidia, currently at Category 3 status, as a major hurricane, warning it is on track for "extremely dangerous" Category 4 strength before it makes landfall on Tuesday night.
The hurricane is about 115 miles (185 km) southwest of major beach destination Puerto Vallarta, the Miami-based NHC reported in its latest bulletin.
The center estimated that Lidia is moving east-northeast at 16 miles-per-hour (26 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (201 kph).

The

Puerto Vallarta airport

announced on social media it was closing from 4:00 p.m. (2200 GMT) until 8:00 a.m. Wednesday.
Lidia's movement is expected to quicken slightly through the day, with the eye of the hurricane expected to reach the coastline on Tuesday evening.
The hurricane's rainfall is estimated at between 4-8 inches (10-20cm), though some areas could see up to 12 inches through Wednesday, according to the bulletin.

A large swath of western and central Mexico will likely see the brunt of the expected downpour, including Nayarit state, southern portions of Sinaloa state, plus coastal areas in

Jalisco

state.
"These rains will likely produce flash and urban flooding, along with possible mudslides in areas of higher terrain near the coast," the NHC predicted.
The strength of Lidia's winds, however, are expected to weaken rapidly after it moves inland.