Hurricane Greg Strengthens Off Mexico Coast

By Emma Koonse, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, August 18, 2011

Hurricane Greg has formed about 300 miles off of Mexico’s Pacific coast as it gathers strength with winds up to 80 mph. No watches or warnings have been issued.

The Category 1 hurricane is currently nearly 400 miles south-southeast of the southern tip of Baja, California, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Forecasters say that it is on a northwest track out to sea, and that the center of the storm will not reach land. There are no oil rigs along the path of the hurricane.

A storm system in the Caribbean is moving west toward Central America, and may become a tropical depression Thursday night. The showers are moving at 15 mph and have an 80 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within the next 48 hours, according to the Miami-based center.

Towns along the coasts of Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, and eastern Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula may be affected, Bloomberg reported.

Tropical Storm Fernanda continues to move slowly west-northwest farther out in the Pacific, strengthening a little with winds near 60 mph.