Karina Strengthens Into Category 3 Hurricane in the Pacific, Could Intensify Further

Hurricane Karina rapidly strengthened to Category 3 on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour, and forecasters said it could become stronger over the next day.

The storm formed as a tropical storm in the Pacific on the previous Thursday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center issued its first advisory on Aug. 27, when Karina still had tropical-storm status. By Sunday morning, it had reached Category 1 before quickly crossing into major hurricane classification.

Karina was located about 1,545 kilometers southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Sur and was moving west at roughly 9 kilometers per hour. No direct impact on the coast was expected, and no watches or warnings had been issued.

The National Hurricane Center warned that Karina could produce strong waves and rip currents along parts of Mexico’s southwestern coast and the Baja California peninsula in the coming days. Three other hurricanes had formed earlier in the eastern and central Pacific season, including Lala, which reached major hurricane strength in mid-August and affected Hawaii.