Nov. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Tropical Storm Ida strengthened over the northwest Caribbean Sea, prompting the Mexican government to issue a hurricane watch for the Yucatan Peninsula, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The storm was about 255 miles (410 kilometers) southeast of the island resort of Cozumel, Mexico, and about 270 miles south of Cuba’s western tip at 10 a.m. New York time, the Miami-based agency said in an advisory. Ida’s maximum sustained winds grew to about 60 miles (96 kph) per hour as the storm sped up to about 9 mph, from 45 mph three hours ago, the center said.

The storm is expected to take a turn to the north-northwest during the next couple of days, and move over or near the northeastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula tomorrow, reaching the southeastern Gulf of Mexico tomorrow night, the agency said.

Ida could approach hurricane strength, which begins at 74 mph on the Saffir-Simpson scale wind speeds, during the day tomorrow, the center said. The storm is expected to weaken a bit after it enters the Gulf of Mexico, the center said.

The Cuban government has issued a tropical storm warning for the province of Pinar del Rio, while the Cayman Islands has issued a warning for Grand Cayman Island, the center said.

The agency’s five-day forecast shows the system moving over the western Caribbean Sea today as a tropical storm and in the central Gulf of Mexico by 7 a.m. New York time on Nov. 9. The gulf is home to about a quarter of U.S. oil production.

Ida became the ninth named storm of the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season after forming in the southwestern Caribbean Sea three days ago. The Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dan Hart in Washington at dahart@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 7, 2009 10:42 EST