Hurricane Kenneth weakens to Category 2 off Mexican coast

MEXICO CITY – Hurricane Kenneth blew up quickly into a monster Category 4 storm Monday, but then lost strength as it moved over the Pacific far from Mexico’s coast. It posed no threat to land, but the remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey continued to slog across the Caribbean Sea, threatening to drench parts of Central America.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Kenneth had weakened to a Category 2 hurricane by Monday night, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph). The storm was centred about 1,450 miles (2,335 kilometres) west of the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. It was moving west-northwest at about 10 mph (17 kph) over the open sea and expected to be a tropical storm by Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey passed off the northern coast of Honduras and headed toward Belize and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Forecasters said it might regain tropical storm force once it moved into the lower Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday.