A tropical storm off the west coast of Mexico quickly became a major hurricane today, but forecasters expect it to dissipate before reaching the central Pacific.

At 5 a.m. Hawaii time, Hurricane Kristy had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, making it a Category 3 storm, and its center was about 650 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Kristy moved west at 20 miles per hour and hurricane-force winds extended up to 15 miles from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds extended over 80 miles.

“Kristy is a relatively small hurricane that remains vulnerable to rapid intensity fluctuations in a weak shear environment over warm (sea surface temperatures),” meteorologists said.

The hurricane is expected to move further west and peak Thursday as a Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour away from land in the eastern Pacific.

Meteorologists then expect it to turn northwest over cooler waters and encounter stronger wind shear, which will combine to significantly weaken the storm.

By the end of the current five-day forecast period on Monday, Kristy is expected to reach a remnant low with winds of 35 mph as it approaches the central Pacific.