Felicia strengthens to a hurricane

Hurricane Felicia continues to gain strength in the eastern Pacific Ocean and is headed towards the big island of Hawaii. Current forecasts have Felicia gaining strength and becoming a major Category 3 storm my the end of the week. Storm tracking also shows that the storm is heading in the general direction of Hawaii with the Big Island being inside the cone of uncertainty by Sunday afternoon.

Felicia strengthens into hurricane in the Pacific (Associated Press)

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Felicia's maximum sustained winds are near 80 mph and it could be a major hurricane during the next day or so

Felicia upgraded to hurricane (Honolulu Advertiser)

The hurricane center said that Felicia could become a major hurricane in the next couple of days.

Felicia is one of two new Pacific storms — the fifth and sixth of the hurricane season — that could come close to Hawaii.

The hurricane center's potential five-day track puts Felicia about 500 miles east and about 125 miles south of the Big Island early Sunday morning.

Further east, Tropical Storm Enrique is also gaining strength. Earlier indications were that Enrique was essentially on the way out as it formed but so far continues to intensify.

Behind Felicia is Enrique, a larger system but with lower maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. Enrique is forecast to get stronger in the next 24 hours.

Enrique is moving west-nothwest at 16 mph. Its five-day potential track also puts it southeast of the Big Island early Sunday morning.