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. The hurricane made landfall about 20 miles east of Punta Maldonado,

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

Erick rapidly intensified from a 40 mph tropical storm on June 17 into a Category 4 hurricane by midnight on June 19. Six hours later, Erick made landfall in extreme western Oaxaca state east of Punta Maldonado as a Category 3 with 125 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center.