Hurricane Hector may lash Johnston Island

Aug. 9 (UPI) - Meteorologists issued a tropical storm watch for Johnston Island on Thursday as Hurricane Hector moved south of Hawaii, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said.

The center of the storm was about 415 miles southwest of Honolulu and 475 miles east of Johnston Island, the CPHC said in its 2 p.m. HST update. The Category 3 storm was moving west at 16 mph with 120 maximum sustained winds.

Earlier in the day, meteorologists canceled a tropical storm warning in Hawaii as Hector moved south of the Big Island.

Forecasters expect little significant change in Hector's strength in the coming days.

An uptick in squalls, locally heavy rain, brief gusty winds, heavy seas and surf may occur on the islands through the latter part of the week, AccuWeather reported.