Karina continues to drift eastward in the E. Pacific

Tropical Storm Karina gained some strength early Friday, however, the storm is expected to weaken in the coming days, National Hurricane Center forecasters in Miami said.

At 5 a.m. Friday, Karina was packing maximum sustained winds of 70 mph with higher gusts and moving toward the northeast at 3 mph, forecasters said.

Karina could see some fluctuations in strength on Friday, but forecasters say the storm should start to gradually weaken Saturday evening as it makes its way over cooler waters and encounters a stable and dry air mass from the northwest, forecasters said. Tropical storm-force winds currently extend outward up to 60 miles.

Karina will gradually get pulled eastward and northeastward by the larger circulation of Tropical Storm Lowell, as the latter cyclone passes to the northeast of Karina in about two to three days, forecasters said. Karina could be a remnant low within five days.

National Hurricane Center officials in May predicted 14 to 20 named storms and seven to 11 hurricanes — including three to six major hurricanes — to form this year in the Eastern Pacific Basin. Overall, they gave the 2014 season a 50 percent chance of being above normal, 40 percent chance of being near-normal and a 10 percent chance of being below normal.

The Eastern Pacific averages 15 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes each year, according to the center.

The Eastern Pacific hurricane season began May 15 and ends Nov. 30.