Packing winds of 140 mph, Hurricane Jimena was approaching Baja California on Sunday as a Category 4 storm, forecasters said.
“There’s a good chance this system could be a Category 5 in the next 24 hours,” said Dave Roberts, a hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
As of Sunday afternoon, Jimena was about 270 miles (440 km) south of Cabo Correintes, Mexico, or about 480 miles (770 km) south-southeast of the southern tip of Baja California, according to the center. The storm is expected to continue in a north-northwest motion and approach the southwestern tip of Baja California sometime early Tuesday.
Jimena is the 10th named storm of the Pacific season.