Hurrican Rick gains force off Mexico’s Pacific coast

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hurricane Rick gathered force off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast and is forecast to hit that coast by Monday as a Category 3 storm. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Rick may be a major hurricane with winds as high as 120 miles per hour (195 kph) before hitting land somewhere between the seaport of Lazaro Cardenas and Manzanillo. On Saturday, the hurricane was located about 195 miles (315 kilometers) south of the coastal resort of Zihuatanejo. The storm had winds of 85 mph (135 kph), and was moving north-northwest at 7 miles per hour (11 kph). The center warned Rick could produce flash flooding and mudslides.