Hurricane Iona rapidly strengthened overnight into a Category 3 hurricane well south of the Hawaiian Islands and is expected to reach Category 4 intensity later today, forecasters said.

A major hurricane is churning in the Pacific Ocean several hundred miles away from Hawaii. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Tuesday that Hurricane Iona is one of two major weather systems in the ocean but poses no threat to the islands.

Hurricane Iona has strengthened into a Category 3 storm far southeast of the Hawaiian Islands. The NHC is also tracking more in the Pacific.