Hurricane Willa forces thousands to evacuate as Category 4 storm descends on Mexico

'People are really scared. People are crazy and worked up,' says coastal resident

Thousands of people have been evacuated from Mexico's Pacific coast as Hurricane Willa, a Category 4 storm, barrels towards the country.

Sustained winds of 140 miles per hour were recorded on Monday night and the hurricane is expected to make landfall as soon as Tuesday afternoon.

The storm is likely to hit a few miles south of the popular tourist town of Mazatlan and is forecast to bring a "life threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall" to the area, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

Up to 45cm of rain is forecast for coastal regions and Mexico's National Meteorological Service warned that buildings up to 500 meters from the shore could also lose power and be damaged.

Residents in Mazatlan have sealed building doors and windows with large wooden planks.

"People are really scared," said Zulema Pardo, an attendant at a petrol station where people queued to stock up on fuel and food. "People are crazy and worked up."

Men transport a boat on a truck in Teacapan, Sinaloa state before the arrival of Hurricane Willa (Getty)

Workers protect a shop with wood panels in Mazatlan (Getty)

Willa is expected to be one of the one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit Mexico from the Pacific.

Locals were warned to take the threat of the storm seriously.

"Let's not play the macho. Let's not act like superheroes," said Antonio Echevarria, governor of Nayarit, another town in the path of the hurricane. "It's a very strong hurricane, very potent and we don't want any tragedies."

Despite the looming threat, some tourists were unfazed. "It doesn't ruin the pleasure of being here," Angel Avelar, who is on holiday in the area, said. "Maybe things will be different tomorrow."

Additional reporting by agencies