MEXICO CITY (AP) — A rapidly strengthening Hurricane Odile intensified into a strong storm Saturday night and appeared headed for a possible close brush with the southern end of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Odile’s maximum sustained winds had increased to 110 (175 kph) by Saturday night, just below a Category 3 hurricane. The storm’s center was about 410 miles (660 kilometers) south-southeast of the southern tip of Baja California and moving faster to the north-northwest, at 12 mph (19 kph).
Mexican officials posted a hurricane warning from Los Cabos at the peninsula’s tip northward along the west coast to Cabo San Lazaro and the east coast to La Paz. High winds and dangerous surf were expected along the shore beginning Sunday, and heavy rains were possible for Baja and nearby mainland areas.
Center forecasters said Odile was likely to become a major hurricane overnight. They said its core would remain well out at sea into Sunday, then pass near or over the southern end of Baja California on Sunday night and Monday.
Far out in the central Atlantic, Tropical Storm Edouard also gained strength and the U.S. center said it could become a hurricane on Sunday, although it is expected to remain at sea and pose no threat to land.
The center said Edouard had sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) late Saturday. It was centered 1,010 miles (1,620 kilometers) east of the northern Leeward Islands and moving northwest at 14 mph (22 kph).
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