MEXICO CITY -- Hurricane Dora strengthened off Mexico's Pacific coast on Monday, but posed little threat as it spun out into the ocean away from land.

The hurricane's maximum sustained winds Monday afternoon were near 90 mph (150 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Dora was expected to begin weakening on Tuesday.

The hurricane was centred about 175 miles (285 kilometres) southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and was moving west-northwest near 13 mph (21 kph).

The hurricane centre said Dora's forecast track shows its centre moving away from Mexico's southwestern coast. But swells from the storm are affecting parts of Mexico's coast and are expected to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Western Mexican states of Guerrero and Michoacan were expected to receive 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimetres) of rain.