Hurricane Vance strengthens off Mexico's Pacific coast

Hurricane Vance reached Category 1 strength off Mexico’s Pacific coast Friday, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph as the National Hurricane Center warned it could intensify into a major hurricane before the day ended. The storm remained hundreds of miles offshore, while its future track and potential effects on land remained uncertain. At 0900 UTC Friday, Vance was about 440 miles south-southwest of Acapulco and moving north-northwest at roughly 6 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. The center expected that general motion to continue through the weekend. A Category 3 hurricane has sustained winds of at least 111 mph. The hurricane formed from a tropical depression designated on October 21 and strengthened rapidly over the following two days. The National Hurricane Center said conditions supported further intensification, while forecasting that Vance could reach major-hurricane strength before Friday ended. That remained a forecast, not an observed outcome. Vance’s path will determine how much of Mexico’s western coast faces direct wind and rain. AccuWeather projected that coastal impacts could begin as early as Tuesday, October 27. Its forecast called for 1 to 2...