Hurricane Marie Strengthens to Category 5; Heads for Southern California

Hurricane Marie spiraled into a Category 5 storm over the weekend as it barreled toward Southern California packing sustained winds of up to 150 mph, The Associated Press reported.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sunday that Marie had sustained winds of 150 mph (240 kph) and was located about 475 miles (765 kilometers) south of the southern tip of Baja California. It said the storm was moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph) and had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 kph.)

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Swells provoked by the storm were affecting the southwestern coast of Mexico and the southern part of the Baja California Peninsula and could cause dangerous surf and rip current conditions, the center said.

It said swells from Marie are expected to cause dangerous beach conditions in Southern California by Tuesday.

Hurricane-force winds extended up to 60 miles (95 kilometers) away from the storm's center, with tropical storm-force winds reaching out to 310 miles (500 kilometers).

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