U.S. weather forecasters say Hurricane Dora has strengthened off Mexico's Pacific coast and could become a major hurricane within hours.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami Wednesday classified Dora as a Category 2 storm on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity. Forecasters say Dora currently has winds of 165 kilometers per hour and is expected to move nearly parallel to the coast of southwestern Mexico over the next two days. The latest report positioned the storm 620 kilometers south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, moving in a west-northwesterly direction.

Mexican authorities issued a tropical storm watch from Lazaro Cardenas to Cabo Corrientes.

Dora is the fourth named storm of this year's Pacific hurricane season.