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.

Erick was nearing landfall along the western coast of Mexico as a Category 4 hurricane early Thursday, as forecasters warned it had "extremely destructive winds near its core."

The hurricane was downgraded from a Category 4 to a Category 3 storm as it landed, with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph.