Hurricane Hector

Hawaii bracing for Hurricane Hector

The National Weather Service said Hector remained a category four storm as it moved closer to Hawaii's Big Island.

At 11.30am (Hawaii time) today, the storm was located 1359 kms east of Hilo and forecast to pass to the south of Hawaii, the service said.

Hector continued to move in a westerly direction with winds as high as 250 km at its centre, it said.

The US National Hurricane Centre urged people to prepare for tropical storm force winds across Hawaii County on Wednesday.

Hurricane Hector closing in on Hawaii and volcano

The hurricane is swirling around in the northern Pacific, threatening to hit Hawaii's Big Island and possibly its active volcano, on Wednesday.

Some predictions put the storm on a virtual collision course with the Kilauea Volcano on the southern part of the island. Lava has been spewing from vents on its eastern flank since the third of May and its summit crater continues to collapse.

Scientists have differing opinions over how hurricanes and volcanoes might interact, including the question of whether low atmospheric pressure could help trigger an eruption.