Hurricane Kristy is upgraded to Category 3 as experts reveal chance of US being hit

Hurricane Kristy has been upgraded to a Category 3 as it strengthens in the Pacific Ocean.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued the alert Wednesday, locating the storm about 600 miles southwest of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.

Travelers in Mexico are urged to ‘exercise caution and expect weather-related disruptions,’ including heavy rainfall, strong wind and flooding. 

Kristy is moving at 20 miles per hour with sustained winds of 125 miles per hour. 

‘The impressive rapid intensification of Kristy has continued this morning,’ the NHC shared. 

‘The gradually warming eye of the hurricane is surrounded by a ring of very deep convection, with infrared cloud tops as cold as -75 to -80 deg C.’

While models show the storm is moving north toward the Californian coast, forecasts have predicted that it will likely veer west and travel deeper into the Pacific. 

AccuWeather meteorologist Jesse Ferrell has suggested that the hurricane could reach a Category 4 by this evening.

Sitting at a Category 3 puts Kristy on par with Hurricane Milton that hit Florida on October 9.

Kristy became a tropical storm Monday off of Mexico’s southern Pacific coast before strengthening Tuesday into a hurricane.

This beast of a storm is churning away in the Pacific, intensifying and gaining speed as it barrels over the open ocean. 

‘The hurricane is moving quickly westward while being steered by a strong subtropical ridge to its north,’ NHC stated.

‘This quick westward motion should continue for the next 24-36 hours. 

‘Then, an upper-level trough between the Hawaiian Islands and the west coast of the United States is forecast to erode the western extent of the ridge. 

‘As a result, Kristy is expected to move toward the west-northwest and northwest late this week and into the weekend.’

Kristy is moving at 20 miles per hour with sustained winds of 125 miles per hour. ‘The impressive rapid intensification of Kristy has continued this morning,’ the NHC shared

Waves produced by the storm are set to hit areas of the Baja California peninsula’s west coast late this week, causing potentially fatal surf and rip current conditions, according to the NHC.

Forecasters are predicting a steady to rapid strengthening on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by moderate weakening beginning Friday. 

Brad Reinhart, a senior hurricane specialist at the center, said: ‘This one is moving due westward at a quick forward speed well out to sea, so there are no concerns about land.’ 

Because Kristy is expected to continue moving over open waters, officials have not issued coastal watches or warnings. 

In the Atlantic Ocean, Oscar disintegrated into tropical remnants Tuesday after making landfall in Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday. 

The storm made landfall on Great Inagua Island – the most southern-located district of the Bahamas – with winds hitting a high of 80mph, falling under the tier of a Category 1 hurricane.

The island is recovering from flooding and power outages.