Hurricane Sandra strengthens to Category 4 as it nears Mexico
MEXICO CITY, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Hurricane Sandra strengthened to a Category 4 storm early on Thursday, the strongest recorded in the eastern Pacific Ocean this late in the year, as it headed toward Mexico's coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Sandra, about 575 miles (925 km) south of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula on Thursday morning, had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (233 kmh), the NHC said.
The agency may issue tropical storm or hurricane watches for portions of the area later on Thursday, it said.
Last month, Hurricane Patricia, which at one point registered as one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded, landed on Mexico's Pacific coast, but did not inflict major damage. (Reporting by Christine Murray; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
