Tropical depression east of Big Island to strengthen today

A newly formed tropical depression east of the Big Island is forecast to strengthen to a tropical storm today.

Tropical Depression 12E, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, will reach storm status by 2 p.m., according to the National Hurricane Center. Moving west at 6 mph this morning, the storm is forecast to shift to a west-northwest track late Wednesday, placing it in a path toward the island.

The storm is forecast to reach hurricane status by Thursday morning, though wind sheer may cause it to weaken back to a tropical storm by Sunday morning.

Forecasters caution it’s difficult to forecast more than 2-3 days out and it’s not yet clear how the storm will impact the island.