Hurricane Flossie strengthened to a Category 3 cyclone late Tuesday while remaining off the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Flossie had maximum sustained winds of 185 kph (115 mph) and was moving west-northwest at about 10 mph (17 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Its higher wind speeds made Flossie a major hurricane, which are classified as Category 3 or above, with winds of at least 111 mph (180 kph).

Flossie was about 315 miles (505 kilometers) south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

It was expected to continue a west-northwest to northwest motion with some further strengthening Wednesday before rapidly weakening.

While that path kept the storm's center offshore, Flossie's outer bands were bringing heavy rain to coastal portions of Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco states.

Mexico's government said Wednesday it had discontinued an earlier tropical storm Punta San Telmo to Playa Perula. More rain could fall in the affected areas into Wednesday.