Tropical storm Lana continues to intensify and is expected to become a hurricane today, but forecasters said the storm is expected pass far to the south of the state this weekend and have no significant impact on the Islands.

At 11 p.m. yesterday, Lana was 825 miles east-southeast of the Big Island and was moving west-northwest at about 20 mph.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of about 60 mph, and tropical storm-force winds extending about 85 miles from Lana's center.

The National Weather Service said Lana may become a hurricane sometime today.

Henry Lau, National Weather Service forecaster in Honolulu, said the storm should weaken as it approaches Hawai'i and is expected to have little effect on our weather. He said Lana is forecast to pass well south of the Big Island tomorrow night and Kaua'i Sunday night.

"Lana is forecast to pass harmlessly south of us," Lau said. "What it might do is just increase the trade winds a little bit around the Hawaiian Islands and that's about it."

Lau said the storm also isn't expected to send any large swells to the Islands.

"It's too far south," he said.