Hurricane John is expected to bring dangerous winds, storm surge and life-threatening flash flooding to parts of southern Mexico.

John’s rapid intensification caught authorities off guard as they scrambled to update their guidance to residents and keep pace with the stronger storm.

Hurricane watches were issued for parts of Cuba and Mexico on Monday as a cluster of storms located south of the Cayman Islands was expected to strengthen into a major hurricane in upcoming days while moving north toward the U.

Mexico's top disaster agency issued a red alert for parts of the country's southern Pacific coast on Monday after Hurricane John rapidly strengthened to a Category 2 storm and threatened to get stronger before making landfall in the coming hours.

The National Hurricane Center says the disturbance could be at least a Category 3 when it reaches the northeastern Gulf Coast on Thursday.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said John had “rapidly strengthened” into a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph). The storm was close to the coast — about 30 miles (45 kilometers) south of Punta Maldonado and it was moving north at 8 mph (15 kph).