Hurricane Kristy Now Category 5; Rip Current Risks

Hurricane Kristy has intensified into a Category 5 storm moving westward across the eastern Pacific Ocean, with current maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts Kristy to continue on a westward to northwestward trajectory, with significant weakening expected due to cooler waters and wind shear. Kristy is not anticipated to make landfall or directly impact the U.S., but it is expected to generate life-threatening surf and rip currents along the Baja California coast. Spaghetti models largely agree that the storm will remain over open waters, although one outlier suggests a potential turn towards northern Mexico and the U.S. The NHC has emphasized the importance of monitoring local weather advisories, especially for coastal regions affected by dangerous swells.