Hurricane Ida strengthens to Category 2 in Caribbean

MEXICO CITY, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Hurricane Ida strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane on Sunday as it churned past the Mexican resort of Cancun and headed into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Ida's maximum sustained winds increased to 100 mph (160 kph) and the storm could get stronger later on Sunday before starting to gradually weaken on Monday, the Miami-based hurricane center said.

(Reporting by Robert Campbell; Editing by Will Dunham)