Hurricane Rina becomes a Category 2 storm

MIAMI — Hurricane Rina has strengthened to a Category 2 storm as it swirls off Central America’s Caribbean coast.

A hurricane watch has been issued for the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from north of Punta Gruesa to Cancun. A tropical storm watch is in effect from Chetumal to Punta Gruesa.

Rina’s maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph (160 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center says additional strengthening is forecast and Rina could become a major hurricane by Tuesday night or early Wednesday.

The hurricane is centered about 320 miles (515 kilometers) east-southeast of Chetumal and is moving west-northwest near 3 mph (5 kph).

In Nicaragua, the air force launched an aerial search Monday for a Navy boat that disappeared Sunday while trying to evacuate residents from a low-lying coastal village.