Tropical Storm Douglas became Hurricane Douglas overnight as sustained winds  increased to near 75 mph.  As of 5:00am, the center of Hurricane Douglas was approximately 1785 miles east southeast of Hilo and moving west at 15 mph.  This motion is expected to continue throughout the day today.  Douglas is forecast to turn west-northwest and increase forward speed tonight.  Additional strengthening is expected for the next day or two. Forecasters say some weakening could begin on Friday once Douglas moves over cooler waters.

On the current forecast track, Douglas could impact Hawai’i Island on Sunday.  We’ll have updates on KWXX 94.7FM Hilo / 101.5FM Kona, B97.1 FM Hilo / B93.1 FM Kona and KPUA AM 670 throughout the day.  You can also find the latest Hurricane tracking maps on www.kwxxweather.com