Swells forecast to bring dangerous surf along Mexico’s coast
Tropical Storm Karina strengthened into a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday and could become a major storm this week, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. The storm was at far sea and was not threatening land.
Karina had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane, the hurricane center said. A major hurricane is classified as Category 3 or greater.
The hurricane was located about 820 miles southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula as of Sunday and was moving northwest at 15 mph, according to the hurricane center. Forecasters said the storm’s projected track would take it farther out into the open Pacific.
The hurricane center said Karina was expected to become a major storm during the week. The storm was at sea and posed no direct threat to land areas.
Although the storm itself was expected to remain offshore, the hurricane center warned that swells from Karina would reach parts of southwest Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula. Those swells were likely to generate dangerous surf and rip current conditions along the coast, the agency said.