Mexico City - Hurricane Rick Saturday roared to the most dangerous level, reaching Category 5 - the highest on the Saffir- Simpson scale - on Mexico's Pacific Coast, the National Hurricane Center said.

The "extremely dangerous" storm is however expected to remain offshore over the weekend, where winds have reached up to 295 kilometres, the centre said.

The storm was about 400 kilometres offshore and was moving parallel to the coast in a northwestern direction, and is not expected to make landfall.

But alarm has been sounded for the entire Pacific Coast to brace for high winds, heavy rainfall and up to 4-metre-waves waves.

Rick is the seventh hurricane of the year in the eastern Pacific. Only one storm reached land, Jimena, which hit the Baja California peninsula in late August and caused flooding. (dpa)