Tropical Storm Fausto expected to strengthen

Associated Press
Published: July 17, 2008

MIAMI - Tropical Storm Fausto is expected to strengthen in the Pacific and forecasters say it could soon become a hurricane.

According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the storm had maximum sustained winds near 60 mph early Thursday.

The storm is moving west near 16 mph and its center is located about 530 miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico.

Farther out in the Pacific, Hurricane Elida is beginning to feel the effects of cooler waters and its cloud pattern has become less distinct. The storm’s center is about 795 miles west-southwest of the tip of Baja California, Mexico. The hurricane’s maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph.

And in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Bertha has weakened to near 60 mph as it moves southeastward away from the U.S. mainland.