Locals and tourists are being evacuated inland or moved to emergency shelters as one of the most powerful storms ever recorded barrels towards Mexico with winds of over 200mph.

Waves of 40ft (12m) are predicted to lash the coastline and experts say Hurricane Patricia could be powerful enough to fling cars down the street.

The US National Hurricane Centre says it is the strongest storm ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere and the third-strongest ever.

People on the country's west coast are being warned of "catastrophic consequences".

Some 400,000 people are in the eye of the storm but there are not enough shelters for everyone to take refuge.

The storm is expected to hit just before midnight (GMT) and is stronger than Typhoon Haiyan which killed 6,000 people in the Philippines two years ago.

Extreme Weather: History's Strongest Storms

Tourists in Puerto Vallarta are either being evacuated or moved into special hurricane "safe rooms" in their hotels.

Loudspeakers along the resort's shore have been warning people to leave.

Businesses around the nearby port of Manzanillo were also boarding and taping up windows.

Flights into and out of the region have been cancelled, leaving many with no option but to ride out the storm.

Another tourist, Mike Fogarty, said: "This one seemed to come out of nowhere ... yesterday afternoon people were in the pool having a great time and it was like nothing was happening...

"Then the hotel passed notes under our doors - maybe about 9pm last night to let us know we may have to evacuate - it was pretty sudden."

Hotel worker Gabriel Lopez, in Manzanillo, said tourists would be well looked after.

"If there is an emergency we will take care of the people. There are rooms that are not exposed to wind or glass." 

Dennis Feltgen, from US National Hurricane Center, told Sky News there could be terrible damage: "Roofs are gone, walls are gone, buildings can literally be pushed off the their slabs."

He said people would experience the worst of the storm for several hours.

"They'll get the catastrophic hurricane winds for an hour, hour and a half; then they'll get the calm eye as the centre passes right over them, then they'll get those catastrophic Category Five winds again coming from the opposite direction."

The storm is also set to have an impact on the US - millions of Texas residents are preparing for its remnants to reach the southern part of the state in a few days.