Kristy strengthens into a hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Kristy strengthened into a hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Tuesday and was expected to remain away from land as the storm grows more powerful, forecasters said.

The storm was 590 miles (950 kilometers) west-southwest of Acapulco, Mexico, and was moving west at 18 mph (30 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

Kristy became a tropical storm Monday off of Mexico’s southern Pacific coast before strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane. It is expected to rapidly intensify and could become a Category 3 storm this week before weakening, forecasters said.

The storm was expected to continue moving over open waters without threatening land. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

In the Atlantic Ocean, Oscar disintegrated into tropical remnants Tuesday after making landfall in Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday. The island is recovering from flooding and power outages.