(Reuters) - Hurricane Rina was slowly strengthening and is expected to approach the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula Wednesday night and Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
At 5:00 pm EDT, Hurricane Rina was located about 275 miles east-southeast of Chetumal, Mexico, and about 275 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (175 km per hour).
The NHC said the government of Honduras has issued a tropical storm watch for the bay islands of Roatan and Guanaja, and said a tropical storm warning may be needed for these islands later Tuesday or Wednesday.
(Reporting by Naveen Arul in Bangalore)
