Mexico City – Though it was moving away from land, Hurricane Ileana gained strength Wednesday off Mexico’s Pacific coast, which was being pelted by the rain and wind of its outer bands.
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) said Ileana had been upgraded to a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, a 1 to 5 rating system, and noted that its rain bands “cover the southern part of the Baja California peninsula.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Ileana’s eye was located 555 kilometers (345 miles) south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, a tourist town in the state of Baja California Sur. The hurricane was packing maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour with gusts up to 230 kilometers (143 miles) per hour.
The SMN added that it was necessary to exercise precaution at sea because of the strong waves and intense rainfall accompanying Ileana, which is traveling in a northwesterly direction at a speed of 26 kilometers (16 miles) per hour.
