Hurricane Odile strengthens, threatens Mexico Baja

MEXICO CITY: Hurricane Odile sped toward Mexico's Baja peninsula on Sunday after becoming a dangerous storm overnight and it could hit the southern tip with its luxury resorts by late in the day.

Odile rapidly became a category four hurricane and by Sunday morning it was 230 miles (365 km) off the southern tip of Baja, churning northwest at a brisk 14 miles per hour (22 km/h), the US National Hurricane Center said.

Winds picked up to 135 miles per hour (215 km per hour) and Odile was projected to pass near or over southern Baja by Sunday night, dumping heavy rains in the region into Monday, the Miami-based center said.

The Mexican government declared a hurricane warning for southern Baja and tropical storm warning for parts of the Pacific coast.