As of the National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) latest update at 12am local time (7am BST) Willa was located 80 miles southwest of Las Islas Marias, Mexico and 190 miles south-southwest of Mazatlan Mexico.
Moving to the north at a speed of 9mph, the hurricane is predicted to reach the Mexican coast this afternoon or this evening local time.
This will be after passing over or close to the Mexican islands, Islas Marias this morning.
Packing winds of up to 140mph, Willa has weakened slightly from its previous status of a Category five hurricane – the highest category on the scale.
Despite this weakening, hurricane Willa is still an extremely dangerous storm and is expected to cause significant impact when it hits.
Hurricane force winds extend 35 miles out of centre the storm, with tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 125miles from the centre.
There are Hurricane Warnings in effect for San Blas to Mazatlan including Las Islas Marias, whilst Tropical Storm Warnings are in place for Playa Perula to San Blas and North of Mazatlan to Bahia Tempehuaya.
As much as 18 inches of rain is forecast to fall in some areas, which “will cause life-threatening flash flooding and landslides” according to the NHC.
This amount of rainfall will impact western Jalisco, western Nayarit, southern Sinaloa and far southern Durango.
Life-threatening storm surges are also forecast, with large swells predicted to impact the southwestern and west-central Mexican coastline for the next few days.
Waves along the southwestern coast in southern Sinaloa and Nayarit could become “large and destructive” warn the NHC.
Swells will begin to affect the southern Baja California peninsula later today.
The NHC says “these swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
Gradual weakening is forecast for today, however, when Willa makes landfall – it is expected to be a dangerous major hurricane.
There have been 13 hurricanes this Pacific Hurricane Season, with 10 of those being major hurricanes.
A major hurricane is one which measures Category three, four or five on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Winds Scale.
The first named storm of the season was Hurricane Aletta, which formed on June 6.
Pacific Hurricane Season began on May 15 in the eastern Pacific Ocean and on June 1 in the central Pacific.
The season will end on November 30.