Hurricane Fausto has strengthened into a Category 2 storm in the eastern Pacific and is tracking west toward Hawaii, with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph and forecasters saying winds and rainfall impacts could increase as it approaches the Hawaiian Islands; it remains far from land at roughly 1,300 miles west of Baja California and 1,600 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii. Simultaneously, swells from Fausto could bring dangerous surf and rip currents to Southern California, while Tropical Storm Bertha has dissipated after affecting the Gulf Coast region.
