The Honolulu Star-Bulletin is reporting that Tropical Storm Hilda is expected to become a hurricane by tomorrow but, on its present course, will track well south of the islands, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
At 5 a.m. today Hilda was 740 miles east-southeast of Hilo and about 950 miles east-southeast of Honolulu.
The storm has sustained winds of 65 mph with higher gusts and is expected to intensify to hurricane strength by tomorrow. A tropical cyclone becomes a hurricane when its sustained winds reach 73 mph.
The storm is moving west at about 13 mph and is expected to continue moving that direction over the couple of days, the hurricane center said.