Hurricane Carlotta forms over Pacific Ocean as it moves away from Mexico

MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Carlotta formed over the Pacific Ocean on Friday and continues to strengthen as it moves away from Mexico, forecasters said.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Carlotta’s top sustained winds reached 80 mph (130 kmh) as it moved farther away from any coast.

The center said ocean swells generated by Carlotta were coming ashore along west-central mainland Mexico and southern Baja California, however, and were likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions through the weekend.

On Friday morning, Carlotta’s hurricane-strength winds extended outward up to 10 miles (20 km) from its center, which was about 455 miles (730 kilometers) southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, and it was moving west-northwest at about 14 mph (22 kmh), the center said. With Carlotta so far out to sea, no coastal watches or warnings were in effect.