Hurricane Sergio in Pacific could make U-turn toward Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Forecasters are predicting that Hurricane Sergio will do an about-face in the Pacific Ocean and head back toward Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Sergio is a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph).

It was nearly 1,000 miles (more than 1,500 kilometers) from the southern tip of the peninsula Friday, and the center said its “ragged eye” was “wobbling” even farther away, heading toward the west-southwest.

But over the weekend the storm is expected to make a U-turn and then pick up speed as it moves toward land.

The center said Sergio was expected to maintain hurricane status “through the middle of next week.”