2 tropical storms form off Mexico’s southwestern Coast

MEXICO CITY — Two tropical storms formed in the Pacific Ocean off southwestern Mexico, but neither posed any immediate threat to land as they took tracks predicted to move parallel to the coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm John was expected to strengthen rapidly and become a hurricane by Monday night or Tuesday. Tropical Storm Ileana was trailing John to the southeast but wasn’t forecast to reach hurricane force.

John was centered about 310 miles (500 kilometers) south-southwest of the Mexican port of Manzanillo late Sunday and had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph). It was moving northwest at 8 mph (13 kph). It was forecast to stay to the west of the Baja California Peninsula during the week.

Ileana’s center was about 185 miles (295 kilometers) south-southwest of Acapulco. It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was heading west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph). Ileana had a potential to brush Mexico’s southwestern shoulder, and authorities posted a tropical warm warning for the coast from Lazaro Cardenas to Cabo Corrientes.

Farther out to sea, a strengthening Hurricane Hector headed for the central Pacific as a Category 4 storm, with winds of 140 mph (220 kph), the hurricane center reported. It was centered about 1,130 miles (1,820 kilometers) east-southeast of South Point, Hawaii, and was moving west at 14 mph (22 kph).

Hector also posed no immediate threat to land, but the center said people in Hawaii should monitor the storm’s progress as it was projected to pass just south of the islands by midweek.

Stressing that track projections are uncertain at a long time range, the center added, “This remains a good time for everyone in the Hawaiian Islands to ensure they have their hurricane plan in place.”