TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Baja News Wire

AFP - Hurricane Darby picked up strength Friday in the Pacific off the coast of southwestern Mexico and became a Category Three storm on the five-level Simpson-Saffir scale, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.

Darby is the second powerful hurricane in the eastern Pacific after Hurricane Celia, swirling in open seas just north-west of Darby. Celia briefly strengthened to Category Five status, but by 1500 GMT had weakened to Category Four.

Neither Darby nor Celia pose an immediate threat to any coastline.

Darby, which is far from the southern Mexican coastline, packed winds of near 115 miles (185 kilometer) per hour, with higher gusts, the Hurricane Center said in a statement.

"Some fluctuations in intensity are likely (Friday) and Saturday, but a gradual weakening is forecast thereafter," the NHC said.

At 1500 GMT the eye of Darby was located south of Mexico's southern Pacific some 245 miles (395 km) south-southeast of the famed tourist beach of Acapulco, moving towards the west-northwest at around seven miles (11 kilometers) per hour, the NHC said.

Meanwhile out in the Pacific swirled Celia, packing winds of near 150 miles (240 kilometers) per hour.

Celia was also heading in a west-northwesterly direction, moving at near 13 miles (20 kilometers) per hour, though it was forecast to slow in the next days.

Celia "is approaching cooler sea surface temperatures, and weakening is expected during the next 48 hours," the NHC said at 1500 GMT.

The other major storm in the Pacific so far this season was Tropical Storm Agatha, which slammed into Guatemala in May, unleashing heavy rains and floods that left some 275 people dead or missing across Central America.



More...

Updated image...

Sure glad we don't live down that way!!!!