Hurricane Andres strengthens to Cat 4 over eastern Pacific

Miami: Andres has strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane far out to sea in the eastern Pacific, and is generating swells that are likely to cause dangerous surf and rip currents on parts of the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

The first named storm of the season had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph) yesterday night.

The US National Hurricane Center in Miami is forecasting that the storm will slowly weaken over the next 48 hours.Other than strong surf, the storm posed no threats to land.

Andres is centered about 800 miles (1,290 kilometers) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico, and is moving west at 6 mph (9 kph).