Hurricane Norman holds steady as Category 2 in eastern Pacific

Forecasters expect little change in strength for Hurricane Norman Saturday, a storm downgraded to a Category 2 that is expected to continue weakening through early next week. Image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

By Susan McFarland, UPI

Hurricane Norman weakened to a Category 2 Saturday with forecasters predicting the storm to cross the Central Pacific basin on Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said.

The eye of the storm was 1090 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, the NHC said in its latest update. The hurricane was moving west at 14 mph and had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.

Hurricane-force winds extended 25 miles outward from the storm's center, and winds extended outward up to 105 miles. Since it is currently nowhere near land, there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Little change in strength is expected through Saturday night with gradual weakening to continue through early next week, the NHC said.