Hurricane Patricia, the strongest on record, has made landfall in Jalisco state in western Mexico, bringing destructive winds and rain.

Authorities said the storm was "potentially catastrophic", but major damage appeared to have been avoided.

The US National Hurricane Center said the hurricane hit as a Category Five storm - the highest classification.

But it has since weakened to a Category Four, and will be downgraded to a tropical storm in the coming hours.

The Centre said "life-threatening flash floods and mudslides" were now likely in rural areas.

Mexican authorities had evacuated thousands of residents along the country's Pacific coast before the hurricane hit. A state of emergency was declared in three states in Patricia's path.

It made landfall in the Cuixmala area of Jalisco state, some 85km (55 miles) from the port city of Manzanillo.

The US National Hurricane Center said it hit the coast with winds of 265km/h (165mph), making it the most powerful storm every to be recorded in the Americas.

At one point, the hurricane's winds were strong enough "to get a plane in the air and keep it flying", World Meteorological Organization spokeswoman Claire Nullis said.

Video filmed in the port city of Manzanillo shortly before the hurricane struck showed trees bending in severe wind.

People have been preparing for the storm's arrival by trying to protect their homes

As the storm moves inland over mountains, villages could suffer landslides and flash flooding, meteorologists in Mexico say.

The government has warned that ash from the nearby Colima volcano, which has become increasingly active this year, could combine with heavy rainfall to trigger huge mudflows.

Some 400,000 people live in vulnerable areas, according to Mexico's National Disaster Fund.