UPDATE: 11 p.m.

Hurricane Dora continued its westward track this evening as it nears the Central Pacific.

Dora, with winds near 145 mph, is 1,225 miles east-southeast of the Big Island. Dora is moving at 21 mph.

Dora is expected to continue its westward motion and enter the Central Pacific Sunday morning. Fluctuations in intensity are possible during the next day or so, followed by gradual weakening through the early part of next week.

5 p.m.

Hurricane Dora strengthened this afternoon as it nears the Central Pacific.

Dora, with winds at 145 mph, is 1,335 miles east-southeast of the Big Island. Dora continued its westward track at 18 mph.

Dora is expected to continue its westward motion and enter the Central Pacific Sunday morning.

11 a.m.

Hurricane Dora regained Category 4 intensity this morning on its steady western track through the Pacific Ocean.

As of 11 a.m., Dora was 1,440 miles east-southeast from Hawaii and packing maximum sustained winds of about 130 mph with higher gusts, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.

Hurricane-force and tropical storm-force winds now extend out 25 miles and 45 miles from Dora’s center, respectively.

The powerful tropical cyclone is heading west at about 18 mph and is expected to continue to strengthen today before weakening Sunday through Monday.

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Hurricane Dora strengthened overnight as it continued to move west toward the Central Pacific basin.

The small but powerful tropical cyclone was located about 1,480 miles east-southeast of South Point on the Big Island at 8 a.m. today.

Dora strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph with higher gusts, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Hurricane-force winds extend out up to 15 miles from the storm’s center, while tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles.

Dora could further strengthen this afternoon and tonight before an anticipated weakening Sunday through Monday, forecasters said.

The tropical cyclone is moving at about 18 mph on a path toward the Central Pacific basin and is not expected to threaten land.