MEXICO - Tropical Storm Patricia is gaining strength and heading for the central coast of Mexico, forecasters are now predicting, with landfall expected by Friday.

Patricia is currently about 320 miles southeast of Acapulco, the Weather Channel reports, with winds reaching 40 MPH and strengthening into a Category 1 or 2 Hurricane as it heads towards Mexico’s coast on Thursday and Friday.

According to Roland Clark of the Weather Advisory Service, Patricia is expected to produce up to 6-12 inches of rain over portions of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, and Guerrero from Thursday afternoon through Saturday. In higher elevations, like south and southeast facing mountain slopes, accumulation of up to 20 inches of rain is possible, Clark adds. People throughout these Mexican regions can expect flash flooding, mudslides, and dangerous thunderstorms.

By early Sunday morning, Patricia should have moved well inland over the Aguascalientes and Zacatecas region. A hurricane watch has been issued along the Pacific coast of Mexico from Lazaro Cardenas to Playa Perula, including Manzanillo and a tropical storm watch is posted from east of Lazaro Cardenas to Tecpan De Galeana.

Once the storm moves inland, moisture may get pulled into the south-central U.S, but is currently too early to tell if the impact will be substantial. 

For more how Tropical Storm Patricia will affect Mexico and the U.S., check back with AndNowUKnow for updates.