Hurricane Hilary likely to become 'major hurricane' in Pacific

An image from the National Hurricane Center showing the forecast track of Hurricane Hilary. (National Hurricane Center)

Hurricane Hilary is "likely to become a major hurricane" by Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Monday.

The storm strengthened from a tropical storm early Monday over the Pacific Ocean and been churning south of Mexico.

The storm however is on a path moving northwest -- staying away from immediate landfall. Its center was around latitude 14 North, 103 West at 4 a.m. central on Monday, according to the NHC public advisory.

The alert also said that the storm “is moving toward the west-northwest near 8 mph," but expected to pick up speed over the next 48 hours.

The storm has maximum sustained winds near 75 miles per hour, with higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 10 miles from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles.

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect as a result of the storm.

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