Kristy became a tropical storm Monday off of Mexico’s southern Pacific coast before strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane. It is expected to rapidly intensify and could become a Category 3 storm this week before weakening, forecasters said.
The storm was expected to continue moving over open waters without threatening land. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
In the Atlantic Ocean, Oscar disintegrated into tropical remnants Tuesday after making landfall in Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday. The island is recovering from flooding and power outages.
Kristy strengthened into a hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Tuesday and was expected to remain away from land as the storm grows more powerful, forecasters said.
The storm was 590 miles (950 kilometers) west-southwest of Acapulco, Mexico, and was moving west at 18 mph (30 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.
This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner,” Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg’s command center chief, Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady said, according to a Coast Guard press release.
“To understand the severity of the hurricane conditions, we estimate he experienced approximately 75-90 mph winds, 20-25 foot seas, for an extended period of time to include overnight. He survived because of a life jacket, his emergency position indicating locator beacon, and a cooler,” Grady said.
The captain rescued from the water after surviving Hurricane Milton was inside a cooler prior to being rescued by the Coast Guard, Steven Hawley, owner of the now-sunken boat, the Capt. Dave, told Fox News Digital during an October interview.
“That’s the only reason he didn’t get eaten by sharks or freeze,” Hawley said.
The Coast Guard rescued the captain on Thursday Oct. 10 following Hurricane Milton, a storm that made landfall in Florida.
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