Genevieve Explodes Into a Category 5 Hurricane Overnight

Hurricane Genevieve strengthened into a Category 5 storm early Monday, the first hurricane of that strength in the eastern Pacific in two years. The storm remains far from land, but dangerous surf and rip currents are spreading along Mexico's coast.

Genevieve Explodes Into a Category 5 Storm Over the Open Pacific

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Genevieve's maximum sustained winds reached 160 mph early Monday, with a minimum central pressure of 925 millibars. The storm was centered about 530 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, moving northwest at 13 mph.

Genevieve underwent rapid intensification over the weekend, jumping from a Category 1 to a major hurricane in less than a day before reaching Category 5 strength Monday morning. It's the first storm of that intensity in the East Pacific since Hurricane Kristy in 2024, and the first major hurricane of the 2026 East Pacific season.