Tropical Storm Marty swirling in the Pacific, little change in strength expected

Tropical Storm Marty swirling over Pacific

MIAMI — Forecasters expect Tropical Storm Marty to start losing its punch as it swirls in the Pacific off Mexico’s coast.

Marty’s maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 kph) Thursday. But the National Hurricane Center in Miami says the storm should begin weakening and fall back to tropical depression status Friday.

The tropical storm is centered about 300 miles (485 kilometers) southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. It’s moving north-northwest near 2 mph (4 kph).

The current forecast track has the storm drifting farther out to sea in the next few days.