Karina strengthens into a Category 4 hurricane in the Pacific far from land, forecasters say

MIAMI — Hurricane Karina strengthened Monday into a powerful Category 4 storm in the Pacific Ocean but isn’t threatening land, forecasters said.

The storm has intensified quickly since becoming a hurricane Sunday and has been fueled by warm waters far offshore, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Karina was about 1,020 miles (1,642 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico and had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (233 kph), the center said. It was moving west.

There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, but waves were expected to affect Mexico and likely Southern California. Additional strengthening was possible on Monday, followed by fluctuations in intensity.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Lowell was about 855 miles (1,376 kilometers) east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (97 kph) and was moving west.

Forecasters said that Lowell could become a hurricane by Monday night or Tuesday. The storm posed no immediate threat to land, but the center said Lowell could be in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands later this week.