Hurricane Rick reaches Cat 5 off Mexico

MIAMI -- Hurricane Rick has become an "extremely dangerous" Category 5 storm off Mexico's Pacific coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm is now packing sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph) and it could threaten the Baja California peninsula next week.

Rick was centered about 290 miles (470 kilometers) south of the port of Manzanillo, west of Acapulco, on Saturday afternoon and was moving northwest near 15 mph (24 kph).

Forecasters expect it to stay well off the coast for several days before bending east over cooler waters and hitting the peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane sometime Wednesday.