The "extremely dangerous" hurricane has made landfall on the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Hurricane Lidia struck Mexico as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of up to 140 miles per hour (220 kilometers per hour).

After making landfall, the storm has diminished, and the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has downgraded it to Category 2 status.

Authorities in the state of Nayarit said a man was killed when a tree collapsed on the van he was driving.

Before 18:00 local time (0:00 GMT), Lidia made landfall near the small coastal town of Las Penitas. It hit as a Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which runs up to five.

By 21:00 (03:00 GMT), the NHC reported that Lidia was producing maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 km/h) as it passed near the Jalisco state municipality of Mascota.

The center of circulation reported that Lidia was moving east-northeast at 17 mph (28 km/h) and would diminish rapidly as it moved over elevated terrain in west-central Mexico.

"Life-threatening hurricane-force winds are expected along the storm's path overnight," the NHC added, warning of hazardous water levels, flash flooding, and waves along the Pacific coast.

Ahead of the hurricane, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, president of Mexico, announced that 6,000 members of the armed forces had been deployed to assist locals.

"I urge those living between Nayarit and Jalisco, especially in Bahia de Banderas, Puerto Vallarta, and Tomatlan, to take precautions," he wrote on the social media platform, advising people to avoid low-lying areas, rivers, and slopes.

Residents of the seaside resort of Puerto Vallarta sought refuge from the hurricane, while the shopkeepers boarded up windows and stacked sandbags to prevent flooding.

The city's airport announced earlier that it would be closed from 16:00 local time (22:00 GMT) on Tuesday until 08:00 on Wednesday.

The passage of Tropical Storm Max earlier this week resulted in substantial flooding along several stretches of the Pacific coast of Mexico. The state of Guerrero experienced two fatalities as a direct result of the hurricane, according to the local media.

Every year, hurricanes strike the shores of Mexico, both on the Pacific and the Atlantic. The month of May marks the beginning of the United States' official hurricane season, which runs through the month of November. However, the majority of hurricanes form between the months of July and October.

Scientists believe that higher sea surface temperatures warm the air above and create more energy available to drive hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons. However, the exact connection between climate change and the increased frequency of storms is yet unknown.

As a direct consequence of this, they are likely to be more severe and to produce more intense rainfall.

Since the beginning of the industrial period, the average global temperature has increased by approximately 1.1 degrees Celsius (33.98 degrees Fahrenheit), and this trend will continue until governments all over the world make significant reductions in their emissions.