Tropical Storm Karina strengthened into a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday and could become a major storm this week, forecasters said. The storm was far offshore and was not threatening land. It had maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour and was moving northwest. Swells could still bring dangerous surf and rip currents to parts of southwest Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula.
A satellite image shows Hurricane Karina strengthening off the southern tip of Baja California, Sunday. AP-Yonhap
MIAMI — Tropical Storm Karina strengthened into a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday and could become a major storm this week, forecasters said. The cyclone's center was at far out sea and was not threatening land.
Karina had maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (130 kilometers per hour), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said, making it a Category 1 hurricane. A major hurricane is Category 3 or greater.
The storm was located about 820 miles southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula and was moving and was moving northwest at 15 miles per hour a forecast path farther out into the Pacific.
