Tropical Storm Carlotta strengthens over Pacific Ocean as it moves away from Mexico

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Carlotta is growing stronger over the Pacific Ocean as it moves away from Mexico and could become a hurricane by Thursday night or Friday, forecasters said.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Thursday afternoon that Carlotta’s maximum sustained winds had grown to 65 mph (100 kph). The system was centered about 510 miles (820 kilometers) west of Manzanilla, Mexico, moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).

Swells generated by the storm will likely cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions through the weekend along Mexico’s west-central mainland coast and the southern Baja California peninsula, the hurricane center warned.