Hurricane Willa grows rapidly off Mexico's Pacific coast

A newly formed hurricane rapidly gained force off Mexico's Pacific coast on Sunday, and forecasters said it could reach Category 4 status before hitting land by midweek.

A hurricane watch was posted for a stretch of shore between San Blas and Mazatlan.

Hurricane Willa was about 260 miles south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes at midday Sunday with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. It was moving to the northwest at 7 mph, but was expected to start curving toward the north-northeast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Willa is expected to become a major hurricane by Monday morning and approach the coast by Tuesday night. It said the storm could produce dangerous storm surge, while dumping 5 to 10 inches of rain across parts of western Jalisco, western Nayarit and southern Sinaloa states, with lesser amounts falling as it moves inland.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Vicente appeared to be a less potent threat farther south. Forecasters said it was likely to remain just offshore or near Mexico's southern Pacific coast through Monday night and perhaps edge ashore on Tuesday.