Hurricane Barbara strengthens off Mexico; no threat to land

MEXICO CITY – Hurricane Barbara gained strength far off Mexico’s southern coast Monday night, and forecasters said it probably would grow into a major storm though it posed no threat to land.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Barbara, the second hurricane of the eastern Pacific season, was expected to continue heading out into the Pacific.

Having sprung up earlier Monday as a tropical storm, Barbara had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (1550 kph) by nighttime. The storm was centred about 1,010 miles (1,625 kilometres) southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula and heading west at 15 mph (24 kph).