MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hurricane Kristy strengthened into a Category 4 storm in the Pacific on Wednesday and is expected to stay away from land as it churns in the Pacific Ocean, forecasters said.

The major hurricane was located 710 miles (1,140 kilometers) southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, and was moving westward at 20 mph (31 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, just below Category 5 status, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

Waves generated by Kristy will hit parts of the west coast of the Baja California Peninsula late this week, the center said, likely creating life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Kristy previously became a tropical storm off the southern Pacific coast of Mexico on Monday strengthen on Tuesday into a hurricane. Steady to rapid strengthening was expected on Wednesday and Thursday before yields begin to gradually weaken from Friday, forecasters said.

The storm was expected to continue moving over open water. There were no coast guards or warnings in effect.

“This is moving due west at high forward speed, far out to sea, so no land concerns,” said Brad Reinhart, a senior hurricane specialist at the center.

In the Atlantic Ocean, Oscar fell apart into tropical remnants on Tuesday after making landfall in Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday. The island is recovering from floods and power outages.

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Associated Press reporter Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.