Hurricane Erick slammed into Mexico’s Oaxaca state as a dangerous Category 3 storm Thursday morning, unleashing powerful winds at the coast while spreading heavy rain over the region.

Hurricane Erick rapidly intensified over the last 24 hours, growing into a powerful Category 4 storm but weakening slightly before making landfall.

Erick was nearing landfall along the western coast of Mexico as a Category 4 hurricane early Thursday, as forecasters warned it had "extremely destructive winds near its core."