MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Karina formed on Sunday in the Pacific Ocean and is forecast to become a major storm within days, according to forecasters. The cyclone's center is located far out to sea and is not currently threatening land.
Karina has maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph), as reported by the Miami-based National Hurricane Center, classifying it as a Category 1 hurricane.
The storm is expected to undergo steady or rapid strengthening as it moves over open Pacific waters and is predicted to become a major hurricane in approximately one to two days. A major hurricane is defined as a Category 3 or higher, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph).
As of Sunday, Karina was situated about 880 miles (1,415 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula and was moving west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph). Its forecast path indicates it will remain farther out into the Pacific.
While Karina is expected to stay well away from land, swells generated by the storm may create dangerous surf and rip current conditions along parts of southwest Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula, according to the hurricane center.
In other Pacific developments, Tropical Storm Lowell was located about 985 miles (1,585 kilometers) east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and no immediate threat to land. Forecasters indicated that Lowell could strengthen into a hurricane by Monday night or Tuesday.