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.

Hurricane Erick made landfall on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, authorities said, potentially bringing intense rains and life-threatening floods and mudslides. The storm made landfall around 5:30 a.

The hurricane had been a Category 4 storm as it bore down from the eastern Pacific toward Mexico. The authorities ordered evacuations in Oaxaca and Guerrero.