MEXICO CITY — On Wednesday, Hurricane Kristy got stronger in the Pacific Ocean and became a Category 4 storm. Forecasters said it would stay away from land while it churns in the Pacific Ocean.
Seven hundred miles to the south-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula was the big storm. It was moving west at twenty-five miles per hour (31 kph). Based on the National Hurricane Center in Miami, it had maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (250 kph), which is just below Category 5.
The center said that Kristy’s waves will hit parts of the west coast of the Baja California peninsula by the end of this week. These waves are likely to create dangerous surf and rip current conditions.
Kristy started as a tropical storm off the southern Pacific coast of Mexico on Monday. By Tuesday, it had grown stronger and was a hurricane. Predictions said it would get steadily to rapidly stronger on Wednesday and Thursday, but it would start to slowly weaken on Friday.
It was thought that the storm would keep moving over open water. There were no alerts or watches for the coast.
An expert on hurricanes at the center, Brad Reinhart, said, “This one is moving west at a fast forward speed well out to sea, so there are no worries for land.”
Oscar was a Category 1 storm that hit land in Cuba on Sunday. On Tuesday, it broke up into tropical remnants in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is getting back on its feet after flooding and power cuts.
Source: Hurricane Kristy strengthens into a Category 4 storm in the Pacific Ocean
