Hurricane Karina strengthened to Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, a status capable of causing catastrophic damage. ^[1] Hurricane Karina remains a Category 4 storm with powerful effects in the Pacific Ocean, with signs it could reach maximum intensity in the coming hours. ^[2] On 2026-09-01 at approximately 03:00 Central Mexico Time, the National Meteorological Service (SMN) and the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Tropical Storm Marie formed in the Pacific Ocean about 760 km southwest of Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h, a minimum pressure of 1002 hPa, and movement toward the northwest at 15 km/h. ^[3] The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in the United States indicates that storm surges generated by Karina will affect the southwest of Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula for the next two days. ^[4] The National Meteorological Service forecasts that Karina will maintain Category 4 status until noon on September 1, when it will be located 1,840 km southwest of Punta Eugenia, Baja California Sur. ^[5] The NHC warns that these storm surges could propagate toward California and are prone to causing wave conditions and ocean currents that threaten life. ^[6] At 3:00 AM on Tuesday, Hurricane Karina was detected at 18.0 degrees north latitude and 127.9 degrees west longitude, approximately 1,950 kilometers west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. ^[7] Conagua Clima clarified that the system does not represent any danger to Mexico due to its distance and trajectory. ^[8] On September 1, dependencies of the United States and Mexico are on alert against possible devastations that Karina could leave in its wake. ^[9] The initial forecast from the Comisión Nacional del Agua (Conagua) and the NHC indicates that Marie will strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane on 2026-09-02 and maintain that intensity for several days before beginning gradual weakening. ^[10] The NHC stated on 2026-09-01 that no coastal watches or warnings were in effect for Marie, and no direct impact on land in Mexico had been confirmed. ^[11] The SMN forecast for 2026-09-01 calls for heavy rains of 50-75 mm in southern Baja California Sur, rains of 25-50 mm in several states including Coahuila, Nuevo León, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosí, Colima, Michoacán, Querétaro, Puebla, Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, and Yucatán, and rains of 5-25 mm in Tamaulipas, Mexico City, Tlaxcala, Morelos, and Quintana Roo. ^[12]