UPDATE - 7:21 p.m. ET - Hurricane Patricia has made landfall in the Mexican territory. The southern coast of Jalisco is seeing windspeeds of about 160 mph. The entire area is in state of emergency.

Hurricane Patricia, currently headed toward Mexico's Pacific coast, has become the strongest hurricane ever recorded by the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

The meteorological center in Miami issued an early morning advisory, warning that Hurricane Patricia would make "potentially catastrophic landfall in southwestern Mexico" on Friday evening.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the Category 5 storm is "the strongest hurricane on record in the National Hurricane Center's area of responsibility (AOR) which includes the Atlantic and the eastern North Pacific basins."

Patricia strengthened to a massive Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds on Thursday. The storm accelerated at a near unprecedented rate over a day's time.

"Patricia is estimated to have intensified 85 kt [100 mph] in the past 24 hours," the National Hurricane Center said on Thursday. "This is a remarkable feat, with only Linda of 1997 intensifying at this rate in the satellite era."

The hurricane's maximum sustained winds have been logged at 200 mph. It is expected to grow even more, with the NHC predicting the storm will have peak winds of 205 mph, breaking the record set by Super Typhoon Haiyan two years ago.

Super Typhoon Haiyan was the strongest storm ever recorded in history. It devastated the Philippines in 2013, causing enormous storm surges that left 6,000 people dead.

The center of Hurricane Patricia was placed 145 miles southwest of Manzanillo on Friday morning. Hurricane warnings are in effect throughout the coast of central Mexico.

Patricia is predicted to land between San Blas and Punta San Telmo, an area that includes resort town Puerto Vallarta, home to 200,000 residents.

The NHC predicts destructive winds and heavy rainfall. At least 6 to 12 inches of rainfall is expected, with up to 20 inches in higher terrain areas, creating the possibility of life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.

Storm surges and rising tides are also likely scenarios, depending on where the hurricane touches down.

Hurricane Patricia's growth can be attributed to warm ocean temperatures, triggered by a weather related phenomenon known as El Niño. The storm is the 22nd category 4 or 5 storm to form in the Northern Hemisphere this year, which is highest number ever recorded.