Views: 14
While all is quiet in the Atlantic Ocean for now, Hurricane Kristy strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday and is expected to continue strengthening, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Kristy was located about 710 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja, California, as of 6 p.m. ET and is forecast to continue moving west for the next day or two, according to a Wednesday advisory from the hurricane center. A gradual turn toward the west-northwest and northwest is expected on Friday and into the weekend.
The storm’s maximum sustained winds were near 155 mph with higher gusts on Wednesday evening, and “additional steady to rapid strengthening is expected” during the next day or so the NHC said. Gradual weakening is forecast to begin on Friday.
The storm was expected to continue moving over open waters, however swells generated by Kristy will affect portions of the west coast of the Baja California peninsula late this week, the hurricane center said. These swells are “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” they said.
Hurricane Kristy path tracker
This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.
Hurricane Kristy spaghetti models
Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts.
Hurricane Kristy rapidly intensified into a Category 3 storm Wednesday over the open waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. It’s expected to intensify further through Thursday.