MIAMI - Forecasters say Hurricane Rick is the strongest hurricane in the eastern north Pacific Ocean in more than a decade.
The US National Hurricane Center says Rick turned into an “extremely dangerous’’ Category 5 storm yesterday with sustained winds reaching 180 miles per hour.
At 11 p.m. yesterday, the storm’s center was about 295 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico.
Forecasters said Rick will probably stay offshore for several days. Then the storm is forecast to curve east over cooler waters and approach the Baja California peninsula, perhaps as a Category 2 hurricane, at midweek.
Hurricane Linda, in September 1997, was the strongest eastern north Pacific storm with maximum 185-mile-per-hour winds.
Authorities in the resort city of Acapulco closed the port to small craft after Rick kicked up heavy waves and gusts of wind.
“There are waves of 7 to 8 feet and gusts of wind,’’ said Victor Cruz Lopez, the watch officer at the port captain’s office.
Meteorologist Jessica Schauer said warm waters fueled Rick’s rapid jump from Category 1 to 4 in about 36 hours.
“Right now it’s over very warm water, and the current forecast track keeps it over warm water for quite a while,’’ she said.
Rick was forecast to pass near Socorro Island, about 300 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas, on Tuesday.
The island is a nature reserve with a small Mexican Navy post, and it hosts scuba diving expeditions in winter months.
