Hurricane Hilary grew rapidly to Category 4 strength off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday and could reach Southern California as a tropical storm, according to forecast maps.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Hilary had sustained winds near 145 mph as of Friday morning and was expected to continue its rapid intensification through Friday before starting to weaken. It will nevertheless still be a hurricane when it approaches Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Saturday night, and will approach Southern California on Sunday as a tropical storm.
