Major Hurricane Barbara rapidly gained strength Tuesday morning as it pushed west-northwest over the Pacific Ocean, far from land.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Barbara had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph), with higher gusts, putting it in the range of a Category 4 storm.
The storm's center was about 1,080 miles (1,740 kilometers) southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula and it was advancing at 14 mph (22 kph).
The hurricane center forecasts look for the storm to perhaps strengthen further, but then weaken starting Wednesday.
