Hurricane Erick had strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approached the coast but weakened to a Category 2 storm before making landfall on Thursday.

Hurricane Erick slammed into Mexico’s Oaxaca state as a dangerous Category 3 storm Thursday morning, unleashing powerful winds at the coast and heavy rains that have caused deadly flooding in the region.

Erick was expected to reach hurricane strength as it neared land Wednesday. The cyclone was centered about 180 miles (290 kilometers) south-southeast of Puerto Ángel, Mexico, at 3 a.m. CST (0800 GMT), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.