Fernanda a major hurricane in Pacific, far from land

MEXICO CITY – Hurricane Fernanda headed westward through the Pacific Ocean on Saturday as a major storm but did not pose an immediate threat to land.

The U.S National Hurricane Center reported that Fernanda’s maximum sustained winds were at 140 mph (230 kph), making it a powerful, Category 4 hurricane.

The centre said the storm’s eye was about 1,190 miles (1,920 kilometres) southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. It was moving to the west at 13 mph (20 kph).

Fernanda was heading in the general direction of Hawaii, but forecasters said it is likely to lose strength in the coming days.