Paul

Paul Becomes Major Hurricane in Pacific

A hurricane warning has been issued for portions of Baja California's west coast

• By Associated Press
  
  
  By Ignacio Martinez
  
  LOS CABOS, Mexico (AP) - Hurricane Paul rapidly strengthened into a major Category 3 storm in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico on Monday, prompting a hurricane warning for a swath of Baja California's western coast.
  
  The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Paul's maximum sustained winds had ratcheted up to 120 mph as of 5 p.m. EDT Monday. Paul was centered about 415 miles southwest of the tip of the Baja peninsula and moving north-northeast at 13 mph.
  
  Forecasters said Paul was expected to approach the western coast of the southern Baja peninsula by late Tuesday and be near or over the central Baja peninsula on Wednesday. The hurricane was expected to begin weakening Tuesday, the hurricane center said.
  
  Paul is on track to bypass the heavily populated tourist areas in Los Cabos, at the tip of the peninsula, and the capital, La Paz, on the eastern Gulf of California. But the storm could hit land before sweeping along the coast near Puerto San Carlos on the Pacific, a sparsely populated area of fishing villages. The outer cone was forecast to pass over the tourist town of Meluge, farther north on the gulf.
  
  State civil protection authorities say they are monitoring the storm for possible evacuations and have sent advance teams help maintain water and electricity during the storm.
  
  Mexico's government, meanwhile, changed a tropical storm warning for the peninsula's sparsely populated western coast from Santa Fe north to Puerto San Andresito to a hurricane warning, according to the center. It said Mexico also has issued a tropical storm warning on Baja's western flank from north of Puerto San Andresito to Punta Abrejojos and also from Agua Blanca to south of San Fe. A tropical storm watch is in effect for some other coastal areas in the storm's projected path.
  
  In the Atlantic, meanwhile, Rafael reached hurricane strength late Monday in the Atlantic Ocean south of Bermuda.
  
  The hurricane center said Rafael's top sustained winds had risen to near 75 mph, making it the ninth hurricane of the Atlantic season.
  
  Rafael is centered about 560 miles south of Bermuda. It is moving north at 10 mph and forecast to pass near or to the east of Bermuda by late Tuesday.