Hurricane Karina formed in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, strengthening from Tropical Storm status and posing no immediate threat to land, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm, currently a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h), is located 820 miles (1,325 km) southwest of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula and moving northwest at 15 mph (24 km/h).
The NHC forecasts that Karina will continue intensifying, potentially reaching major hurricane status (Category 3 or higher) within the next day or two as it tracks farther into the Pacific. While the storm’s center remains far from land, dangerous surf and rip currents are expected to impact parts of southwest Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula this week.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Lowell was positioned 1,150 miles (1,850 km) southeast of Hawaii on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h). The NHC noted that Lowell could strengthen into a hurricane by Monday night or Tuesday but currently poses no threat to land.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has projected a below-average Atlantic hurricane season due to El Niño, predicting 8 to 14 named storms, with 3 to 6 becoming hurricanes and 1 to 3 intensifying into major hurricanes. The Pacific season’s activity contrasts with these forecasts, as Karina and Lowell demonstrate ongoing tropical development in the region.