MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Karina strengthened Monday into a powerful Category 4 storm in the Pacific Ocean but isn't threatening land, forecasters said.
The storm has intensified quickly since becoming a hurricane Sunday and has been fueled by warm waters far offshore, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Karina was about 1,020 miles (1,642 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico and had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (233 kph), the center said. It was moving west.
There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, but waves were expected to affect Mexico and likely Southern California. Additional strengthening was possible on Monday, followed by fluctuations in intensity.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Lowell was about 855 miles (1,376 kilometers) east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (97 kph) and was moving west.
Forecasters said that Lowell could become a hurricane by Monday night or Tuesday. The storm posed no immediate threat to land, but the center said Lowell could be in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands later this week.
This satellite image released by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Lowell over the Pacific Ocean, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image released by NOAA shows Hurricane Karina strengthening off the southern tip of Baja California on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces relentlessly battered Kyiv and cities in the region around the Ukrainian capital for a fifth straight day Monday, leaving some supermarket shelves bare after repeated strikes on warehouses as Ukraine reels from attacks with jet-powered drones.
Russia has intensified its aerial attacks in recent months, more than four years after it invaded its neighbor. Almost constant air raid alerts in the Kyiv region in recent days have severely disrupted daily routines. Two major attacks in July killed almost 50 civilians, and a strike on Saturday killed at least 38 people.
Classes were due to resume at Ukrainian schools on Tuesday, but it was unclear whether parents would send their children. Schools have air raid shelters, and classes can also be held online. But about 1 million textbooks have been destroyed in Russian attacks on publishing houses, potentially delaying deliveries for the start of the school year, Ukraine’s Education Ministry said earlier this month.
“Right now, Russia’s tactic is to wear down Ukraine and Ukrainians — first and foremost, our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media late Sunday.
Ukraine has also tried to make Russian civilians feel the burden of war by hammering major online retailers and oil facilities. The attacks have brought shortages for ordinary Russians, though its strikes have not been as deadly for civilians.
A pall of black smoke drifted over Kyiv on Monday morning. In Brovary and Boryspil, cities in the Kyiv region, the aerial attacks struck several warehouses and four people were wounded, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration.
Zelenskyy conceded on social media that Ukraine is struggling to counter fast-flying jet-propelled drones that Russia is increasingly deploying.
Between Thursday and Sunday, Russia fired almost 1,500 drones at Ukraine, and around 800 of them were jet-powered, Zelenskyy said.
Combat aircraft are currently trying to stop the jet-powered versions while Ukraine looks to develop more effective technology.
“Four companies have developed the relevant interceptor drones, and one company has the most successful technology,” Zelenskyy said. He didn't elaborate.
Repeated Russian strikes on food distribution centers and retail hubs have disrupted Ukrainian logistics, leaving some supermarket shelves bare and fueling public concern about shortages.
Those fears prompted Zelenskyy adviser Serhii Beskrestnov to say on social media Monday that Ukraine will not go hungry.
He urged the public not to give in to rumors, disinformation or panic, saying producers and retailers are currently restructuring supply chains.
He added that European countries would be ready to fill any food supply shortfall, if necessary.
At the same time, Russia has kept up its attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, seeking to leave civilians cold and without running water in the approaching winter.
Russian forces launched what officials said was a massive overnight drone attack on Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region, which borders Russia, where an energy facility was damaged, according to Viacheslav Chaus, head of the regional military administration. He did not provide details of the damage.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday it is preparing “massive strikes” on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Russia overnight shot down 239 Ukrainian drones over 14 Russian regions, occupied Crimea and the waters of the Black Sea, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said Monday.
A Ukrainian missile attack Sunday evening on the Russian border city of Belgorod killed three people, acting regional Gov. Alexander Shuvayev said.
Also, a Ukrainian drone attack wounded four people in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, regional Gov. Denis Pasler said Monday. Yekaterinburg is Russia’s fourth-biggest city, located over 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) from Ukraine’s border, and is an industrial hub.
Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Elise Morton in London contributed to this story.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, a woman looks at a residential building damaged by a Russian air strike in Sloviansk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian guided bomb strike in the city center of Sloviansk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
This photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service shows a site of a residential building damaged by a Russian guided bomb in the city center of Sloviansk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
