Hurricane Norma strengthens to major Category 3 off Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) - Hurricane Norma strengthened Thursday to a major Category 3 as it headed toward Mexico's Pacific coast, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

"Norma is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale. Additional strengthening is possible," said the NHC report, which noted its wind speeds exceeded 200 kilometers (124 miles) per hour.

At 12H00 GMT, the epicenter was 410 kilometers (250 miles) west of Manzanillo, in the western Mexican state of Colima.

The NHC said Norma was moving slowly, at about nine kilometers per hour, and was expected to reach the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula by Saturday, with weaker winds.

Heavy rains and flooding are expected in the southern peninsula over the weekend, added the center.