Tropical Storm Gil strengthened into a hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday but was not expected to threaten land, forecasters said. The Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm was about 1,

Hurricane Gil was classified as a storm but it has been upgraded - and, as it has now formed in the eastern Pacific, forecasters say it could reach California in the US as soon as today

No coastal watches or warnings were in effect. The storm was expected to keep traveling to the west-northwest in the coming days.