MEXICO CITY, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Hurricane Rick strengthened to A dangerous Category 3 storm off Mexico's Pacific coast on Saturday and could hit resorts on the Baja California peninsula next week, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Rick, the seventh hurricane of the eastern north Pacific season, was located about 250 miles (400 km) southwest of the resort city of Acapulco with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph (185 kph) with higher gusts.

"Rick is now a major hurricane," the Miami-based center said.

Outer rain bands of the storm have been hitting Mexico's southern coast and that would continue on Saturday, it said.

Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 36 hours and Rick could become a Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale by Saturday night or Sunday, the center said.

Rick is moving west-northwest near 12 mph (19 kph) and this motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days. On this track Rick is expected to remain off Mexico's southern coast over the weekend as it moves generally parallel to the coast, the center said.

The center projected the hurricane turning toward the Mexican coast on Tuesday.

Pacific storms pose no threat to Mexico's large oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico, but the Baja California peninsula is popular with U.S. tourists for its resorts in the Los Cabos area. (Reporting by Eric Beech; editing by Richard Williams)

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