Cat 3 Hurricane Juliette in east Pacific no threat to land

MEXICO CITY – Hurricane Juliette strengthened into a Category 3 storm in the eastern Pacific far off Mexico’s west coast Tuesday, but it was heading away from shore and wasn’t forecast to pose any threat to land.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Juliette had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph) as of the afternoon. Its centre was about 475 miles (760 kilometres) southwest of the tip of the Baja California Peninsula, and it was heading west-northwest at 7 mph (11 kph).

The hurricane centre said Juliette was expected to stay well away from land, and no coastal watches or warnings were in effect.

Slow weakening was forecast over the next 72 hours.