Hurricane Sergio strengthens off Mexico coast

MEXICO CITY, Nov 15 (Reuters) Hurricane Sergio strengthened to a Category 2 storm off Mexico today and was due to brush Pacific coastal towns around the weekend, the US National Hurricane Center said.

The Miami-based center said Sergio carried winds of 157 kph. The storm was some 620 km southwest of the town of Zihuatanejo, Mexican meteorologists said.

Category 2 storms can wreck trailer homes, knock down trees and surge waves as much as 2.4 meters above their normal size.

Mexico's Pacific coast has been blitzed with hurricanes and storms this year, whereas its Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico coasts have seen little activity.

Three hurricanes forecast to hit Baja California's Los Cabos resort towns earlier this year at the last minute veered away from hotels and condominium complexes popular with U.S tourists.

In October, Hurricane Paul killed two people in northwestern Mexico. In September, Hurricane Lane cost three lives along the Pacific coast and Hurricane John killed at least three people in Baja California.

Lane slammed into tomato fields in the agricultural state of Sinaloa, pushing up prices for one of Mexico's main cooking ingredients and feeding a spike in inflation.

Reuters PDS VP0215