Hurricane Felicia strengthens into category 4 storm over eastern North Pacific

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Hurricane Felicia strengthened into a category 4 hurricane on Friday. 

At 2 p.m. PDT, the storm was centered over the eastern North Pacific Ocean around 985 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. 

FELICIA STRENGTHENS TO HURRICANE IN EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC

According to the NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center (NHC), the hurricane is moving toward the west near 9 mph.

The general motion is expected to continue over the next few days. 

Felicia's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 130 mph with higher gusts and hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center.

The agency said that Felicia remains a small tropical cyclone. 

While there was the potential for some fluctuations in strength on Friday, Hurricane Felicia was expected to weaken on Saturday.

AccuWeather meteorologists reported Saturday that, unlike Hurricane Enrique, Felicia would not directly impact Mexico – though there would "still be some effects" including "large swells and rough surf along the coast of Baja California Sur."

The hurricane is the sixth named storm of the 2021 eastern Pacific Hurricane Season.

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The next name in the East Pacific is Guillermo.

NOAA said in May that a near- or below-normal season was most likely, with a 70% chance of five to 10 hurricanes and two to five major hurricanes.

The eastern Pacific hurricane season officially runs from May 15 through Nov. 30, according to the agency.