Hurricane Orlene gained strength on early Sunday as it headed towards western Mexico. It was classified as a Category 4 hurricane by the National Hurricane Center on Sunday. The storm is expected to cause “life-threatening flooding” in Mexico.

Hurricane Orlene was also on course to have a close brush with the former prison islands, which are now being developed by the government as an ecotourism destination.

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Orlene qualified as a hurricane on Saturday after quickly gaining speed. Its maximum sustained winds were up to 110 mph by late Saturday, just below the threshold for a major Category 3 storm.

The National Hurricane Center said in a press release that Orlene was about 160 miles south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes. It was moving at a speed of over 5 mph, according to news agency Associated Press. 

Orlene was expected to pass near or over the former Mexican penal colony of Islas Marias on Monday morning and make landfall Monday evening in Sinaloa state, somewhere in the region around the resort city of Mazatlan.

Orlene might bring heavy rains and high winds to the Pacific coast resort of Puerto Vallarta as it passes offshore Sunday, forecasters said. Puerto Vallarta closed its port to ship and boat traffic Saturday as a precaution.

The National Hurricane Center said that the rainfall from Orlene may trigger “flash flooding, as well as possible landslides in areas with rugged terrain.” It added that “preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.”

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Mexico’s National Water Commission said Orlene could cause “mudslides, rising river and stream levels, and flooding in low-lying areas.”

The hurricane center described Orlene as a small storm, with hurricane-force winds extending out about 10 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds out to 60 miles.