Doubling in strength in less than a day and expected to further grow further, Hurricane Erick is chugging through the ideal environment to power up quickly as it approaches Mexico's southern Pacific Coast.

Hurricane Erick had strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approached the coast but weakened to a Category 3 storm before making landfall on Thursday.

Hurricane Erick slammed into Mexico’s Oaxaca state as a dangerous Category 3 storm Thursday morning, unleashing powerful winds at the coast and heavy rains that have caused deadly flooding in the region.