Mexico ? Lorenzo strengthened rapidly into a Category 1 hurricane as it bore down on Mexico’s Gulf Coast with powerful winds and rain, forcing authorities to evacuate low-lying coastal communities before its projected landfall today.

Officials canceled classes and opened more than 60 shelters on the coastline of Veracruz state Thursday as Mexico’s government issued a hurricane warning from Palma Sola to Cabo Rojo.

At least 30 communities near several rivers were ordered to evacuate late Thursday. Residents scrambled to move furniture and belongings to higher ground even as roads began to flood.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said late Thursday that Lorenzo was forecast to strengthen further before hitting land in the “next several hours” near the small port of Tuxpan. It warned that “preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.”