Tropical Storm Celia strengthens off Mexico’s Pacific coast, expected to stay well off shore

Tropical Storm Celia strengthens off Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Celia gained strength Saturday night over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern Mexico. Forecasters said it was headed farther out to sea.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami warned that large ocean swells from the storm would produce dangerous surf conditions along portions of Mexico’s Pacific coast for days to come.

Celia was centered about 340 miles (550 kilometers) south-southeast of Acapulco, the hurricane center said.

Maximum sustained winds were 65 mph (100 kilometers per hour), putting the storm on the cusp of becoming a hurricane.

Cecilia was moving to the west-southwest at about 8 mph (13 kilometers per hour) on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Blas was weakening as it swirled about 420 miles (670 kilometers) south-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.

Its winds were at about 60 mph (95 kilometers per hour).