Emilia strengthens to Category 4 hurricane in Pacific

CNN: Hurricane Emilia raged into to a Category 4 storm Tuesday, hurling 140 mph winds as it spun across the Pacific Ocean.

As of Tuesday morning, Emilia was about 680 miles (1,095 kilometers) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. It was traveling west-northwest at about 12 mph.

No coastal watches or warnings have been issued due to Emilia, and the hurricane center did not indicate if it is expected to hit or even approach land.

Though Emilia's intensity could fluctuate Tuesday, "gradual weakening is expected to begin by tonight and continue through Thursday," the weather agency said Tuesday....

This shot from NASA shows Hurricane Emilia rapidly intensifying on July 9, 2012.