A hurricane watch has been issued for the Big Island and Maui County as Hurricane Douglas continues its trek toward Hawaii.
According to an 11 a.m. update from the National Weather Service Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, Douglas was about 785 miles east-southeast of Hilo and moving west-northwest at 18 mph.
This motion is expected to continue for the next two days, followed by a slight decrease in forward speed and a turn toward the west.
The storm is currently a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds around 115 mph. While gradual and steady weakening is expected to continue through the weekend, the NWS said Douglas is still expected to be near hurricane strength when it reaches Hawaii.
Hurricane conditions are possible on the Big Island late Saturday night and Sunday, with tropical storm conditions possible Saturday evening.
Large swells generated by the storm are expected to affect portions of Hawaii beginning Saturday. The NWS said these swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions for a couple of days.
Heavy rainfall also is expected late Saturday night through Monday, with rain accumulations of 6-10 inches and isolated totals of 15 inches possible, according to the NWS.