Hurricane Cristina Intensifies off Mexico's Pacific Coast

Hurricane Cristina intensified into a category 4 hurricane early on Thursday as it continued to move away from Mexico's Pacific coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Cristina was located 250 miles (400 kilometers) southwest of the major port of Manzanillo, with maximum sustained winds of 145 miles per hour (230 kilometers per hour), the NHC said.

Cristina was moving away from Mexico at 8 miles per hour, the NHC said, adding that no costal watch or warnings were in effect, even as storm swells hit portions of the country's southwestern coast.

"These swells will likely continue into Thursday and could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."

The center said the hurricane was expected to continue moving west-northwest out to sea for the next couple days.

 

Reporting by David Alire Garcia