Tropical Storm Emilia churns in Pacific; no threat to land

MEXICO CITY – Tropical Storm Emilia formed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico, though forecasters said it was expected to stay far out to sea and posed no threat to land.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm’s maximum sustained winds had risen to 50 mph (85 kph) by late Thursday night. Its centre was about 600 miles (965 kilometres) south-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula and was moving to the west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).

The centre said Emilia could strengthen a bit more over the next 24 hours but was likely to keep moving in the same general direction farther out into the Pacific before beginning to weaken during the weekend.