UPDATE 11 p.m.

Hurricane Barbara is now rapidly weakening and expected to become a tropical storm on Friday.

As of 11 p.m., Barbara was located about 1,475 miles east of Hilo with maximum sustained winds near 80 mph with higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the eye and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles.

Barbara is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph, and a west-northwest to northwest motion is anticipated on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

A west-northwest to northwest motion is anticipated on Friday, followed by a gradual turn toward the west through Saturday. Barbara is forecast to become a post-tropical cyclone late Saturday.

5 p.m.

Hurricane Barbara is expected to weaken to a tropical storm on Friday and become a post-tropical cyclone on Saturday.

The category 2 hurricane is located 1,540 miles east of Hilo with maximum sustained winds at 100 mph. It is moving toward the northwest at 12 mph. A west-northwest to northwest motion is expected tonight, followed by a gradual turn to the west through Saturday.

“Rapid weakening is expected, and Barbara is forecast to weaken to a tropical storm on Friday and become a post-tropical cyclone on Saturday,” said the National Hurricane Center.

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

11 a.m.

Hurricane Barbara is losing strength as it continues moving near the Central Pacific.

Barbara is expected to weaken to become a tropical storm Friday and turn into a post-tropical cyclone Saturday.

“A west-northwest to northwest motion is anticipated during the next day or so, followed by a turn toward the west on Saturday,” according to the latest report from the National Hurricane Center.

As of 11 a.m., Barbara was located about 1,605 miles east of Hilo with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph with higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the eye and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles.

No coastal warnings or watches are in effect.

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Barbara dropped to a Category 3 hurricane overnight and forecasters expect the rapid weakening to continue over the weekend as it nears the Central Pacific.

At 5 a.m., the hurricane was centered 1,670 miles east of Hilo with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, moving northwest at 12 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 45 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds extend up to 185 miles.

“Barbara is expected to weaken to a tropical storm on Friday and become a post-tropical cyclone on Saturday,” when it will enter the Central Pacific forecasters with the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Forecasters said all computer models of the storm’s path show it dissipating “east of the Hawaiian islands, although the remnants could move across that area in about 5 days.”

Today’s July 4th holiday is expected to be hot and muggy with light winds.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu expects moderate to breezy trades will return to the islands this weekend, followed by possible rain and winds from Barbara’s remnants early next week.

Small craft advisories for Hawaiian waters and high surf advisories for eastern shores are also expected due to Barbara.

Weather service forecasters said the large swell produced by Hurricane Barbara is expected to start arriving along eastern shores of the Big Island and Maui starting late tonight or early Friday

Farther east than Barbara, another weather system is developing far off the Central American coast. The hurricane center said today that this system has an 50 percent of forming into a tropical cyclone within the next two days as it moves west over warm eastern Pacific waters.