Miami, Aug. 30 (SANA) Hurricane Karina formed over the Pacific Ocean Sunday and could strengthen into a major hurricane within days, although it remains far from land, forecasters said.
Karina had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph), making it a Category 1 hurricane, according to the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center.
The storm is expected to strengthen steadily or rapidly as it moves across open Pacific waters and could become a major hurricane within a day or two.
A major hurricane is classified as Category 3 or higher, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph).
Karina was located about 820 miles (1,325 kilometres) southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula and was moving northwest at 15 mph (24 kph). Its projected path would take it farther into the Pacific.
Although the storm is expected to remain well away from land, swells generated by Karina could cause dangerous surf and rip currents along parts of southwestern Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Lowell was about 1,150 miles (1,850 kilometres) southeast of Hawaii and posed no immediate threat to land.
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