Miami — Hurricane Genevieve strengthened into a major Category 3 storm in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h), the National Hurricane Center reported. The storm was expected to intensify further while remaining offshore, tracking roughly parallel to Mexico’s southwestern coast.
Genevieve’s center was located about 515 miles (825 kilometers) southwest of Manzanillo, moving west-northwest at 16 mph (26 km/h). No coastal watches or warnings were in effect, but the hurricane center warned that swells from the storm would likely cause life-threatening rip currents affecting parts of Mexico’s southwest coast and could reach areas of the southern Baja California Peninsula by Sunday night or Monday.
The hurricane is forecast to continue strengthening before weakening by midweek.
Farther northwest in the Pacific, Hurricane Fausto weakened to a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). Fausto was located about 910 miles (1,465 kilometers) east of Hilo, Hawaii, moving west at 14 mph (22 km/h). Meteorologists expect Fausto to be downgraded to a tropical storm in the coming days but warned it could still generate significant swells affecting parts of Hawaii.
