Erick, now a tropical storm, is forecast to become a hurricane before making landfall southeast of Acapulco on Thursday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain.

A hurricane warning was issued Tuesday for a portion of southern Mexico as Tropical Storm Erick gained strength in the Pacific Ocean, forecasters said.

Erick was a tropical storm in the North Pacific Ocean Tuesday morning Mexico Central Time, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. The tropical storm had sustained wind speeds of 45 miles per hour.