Hurricane Barbara weakens to tropical storm in open Pacific

Hurricane Barbara has weakened into a tropical storm in the open Pacific Ocean far east of Hawaii.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Barbara’s maximum sustained winds have decreased to 70 mph (110 kph) after reaching powerful Category 4 strength earlier this week.

The storm’s center was located about 1,405 miles (2,260 kilometers) east of Hilo, Hawaii on Friday.

The hurricane center forecasts Barbara to degenerate further into a remnant low system within the next two days as it heads in the general direction of the islands.