WAILEA, Hawaii — For the latest on Hurricane Lane and Hawaii, check out Thursday’s live updates.

Hawaii was bracing on Wednesday for possible landfall from Hurricane Lane, a rare Category 4 storm in the Pacific Ocean that forecasters are warning could bring whipping winds, flooding and high surf.

The storm, which rose to Category 5 strength on Tuesday evening, weakened slightly on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. As of 11 p.m. local time Wednesday, it was about 235 miles south of the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island, with wind speeds of 145 miles per hour.

Hurricane Lane was expected to turn northward on Friday toward the islands, with the center of the storm moving over land over the next two days, the Weather Service said. While its wind speeds have decreased over the last day, the storm was expected to remain a hurricane if it makes landfall.

As the hurricane raced toward Hawaii, the state issued an emergency declaration and closed government offices, including public schools. Tourists and residents were closely following the hurricane’s path and the latest forecasts, with some visitors rushing to airports on Wednesday to try to book flights to leave before the worst of the storm was expected to arrive.