Hurricane Oho intensified overnight and reached its peak strength with sustained winds of 110 mph, just below major hurricane status.

The storm picked up speed as it moves away from the main Hawaiian islands and is starting to weaken.

"It appears that strong vertical wind shear and lower sea surface temperatures are finally taking their toll on Oho," the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said this morning.

At 11 a.m. today, Oho’s winds were 105 mph, down from its peak of 110 mph at 5 a.m., making it a strong Category 2 hurricane. A Category 3 storm, considered a major hurricane, has winds of 111 mph to 129 mph.

The storm was 815 miles northeast of Hilo and 910 miles northeast of Honolulu, moving north-northeast at at a fast-paced 38 mph, up from 29 mph Tuesday night.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles and tropical storm force winds extend 175 miles. 

Oho is expected to gradually weaken through Friday as it approaches the mainland.

The storm is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to Alaska and British Columbia beginning Thursday night.