Vance could be a major Category 3 hurricane Friday as it nears Mexico

MIAMI (AP) — Vance became a hurricane Friday and the National Hurricane Center said it would strengthen rapidly as it nears Mexico’s Pacific Coast.

Vance was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) as it churned about 440 miles (710 kilometers) south-southwest of Acapulco, and could become a major Category 3 hurricane before the end of Friday, the center said.

It was moving toward the north-northwest near 6 mph (9 kph), and this motion is expected to continue through the weekend, approaching the Puerto Vallarta area by Monday.

It’s been an intense hurricane season in the Pacific Ocean, with storms spawning in assembly-line fashion near Hawaii and Mexico as El Niño conditions worsened by global warming create unusual weather, like this week’s severe flooding and tornadoes hitting the southwestern United States.