(Reuters) - Hurricane Katia is slowly strengthening and is likely to be near major hurricane strength at landfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Wednesday.
The hurricane is about 195 miles (315 km) north-northeast of Veracruz, Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (130 km per hour), the NHC said, adding that the government of Mexico has extended a hurricane watch northward along the coast of Mexico, to Cabo Rojo.
"Little overall motion is anticipated through late Thursday, but then the hurricane is forecast to turn south-westward and be approaching the coast within the watch area late Friday or early Saturday."
(Reporting by Arpan Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill)
