Mexico is bracing for a hurricane strike from the Eastern Pacific's fifth named storm, Erick, which is likely to undergo rapid intensification ahead of landfall.While the Atlantic has been calm, the Eastern Pacific is off to a fast start.

Tropical Storm Erick is expected to rapidly intensify into a hurricane this week, with some meteorologists anticipating it will reach major hurricane status before making landfall in Mexico on Thursday morning.

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.