Hurricane Odile gains force off Mexico's Pacific coast

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Hurricane Odile rapidly strengthened late on Saturday as it skirted Mexico's Pacific coast and it was projected to pass near or over the Baja Peninsula as early as late Sunday. The storm became a category two hurricane by Saturday evening as it churned 410 miles (660 km) off the southern tip of Baja, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Winds picked up speed to 110 miles per hour (175 km per hour) and Odile was projected to keep gaining power and become a major hurricane overnight, the Miami-based center said. Odile was moving at 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) to the north-northwest and the center said it could brush or hit southern Baja by late Sunday or early Monday. The Mexican government declared a hurricane warning for southern Baja and a tropical storm warning for parts of the Pacific coast. (Reporting by Michael O'Boyle; Editing by Kim Coghill)