Tropical Storm Karina strengthens into a hurricane in the Pacific

It could become a major storm this week, forecasters say.

MIAMI -- MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Karina formed Sunday in the Pacific Ocean and swiftly intensified into a dangerous major storm within hours, fueled by warm waters far offshore where it poses no immediate threat to land.

Karina gained Category 1 hurricane status early Sunday with top sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph) and then took mere hours to jump up to a dangerous Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

A major hurricane is a Category 3 or greater with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph). Meteorologists said some additional strengthening is possible over the next day or so.

On Sunday, Karina was located about 960 miles (1,545 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula and was moving west at 9 mph (15 kph). It was on a forecast path expected to take it farther out into the Pacific.

While Karina was expected to stay well away from land, swells from the storm were likely to cause dangerous surf and rip current conditions along stretches of coastline in southwest Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula, the hurricane center said. There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Lowell was about 985 miles (1,585 kilometers) east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and posed no immediate threat to land. Forecasters said Sunday that Lowell could become a hurricane by Monday night or Tuesday.

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