Johnston Island was under a hurricane watch last night as Tropical Storm Neki continued to intensify as it headed toward the island.

At 11 p.m., the center of Neki was 565 miles east-southeast of Johnston Island and moving northwest at 17 mph. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph with higher gusts. Neki was about 565 miles south-southwest of Honolulu and was not expected to have an impact on Hawaii. Johnston Island is about 800 miles southwest of Hawaii.

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu issued a hurricane watch for Johnston Island at 5 p.m. yesterday. A watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the next 48 hours. Forecasters said Neki could reach hurricane strength in 36 hours.