Hurricane Jimena Strengthened to Category 4 Storm

Hurricane Jimena, forecast to make landfall in the southern Baja California peninsula in the next two days, has strengthened and is now being classified as a category four storm, according to RMS and other sources.

On Monday morning, the storm was located approximately 245 miles south-southwest of Cabo Corrietes, Mexico and about 395 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of around 145 mph , according to an RMS press release.

RMS says the storm could continue to strengthen as it moves northwest -- if it encounters increasingly favorable environmental conditions -- before weakening within the next 48 hours due to wind shear and interaction with land.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the Mexican government has issued a hurricane watch for the Baja California peninsula. The organization forecasts that the storm will be approaching the southern portion of the peninsula on Tuesday.