(BIVN) – Tropical Storm Barbara is ready to become a hurricane, weather forecasters say, and a strong one at that.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the center of Tropical Storm Barbara was 930 miles south southwest of the southern tip of Baja California this morning, moving west near 16 mph.

Barbara’s maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph with higher gusts, and the storm is expected to become a hurricane later today, “and gather significant strength during the next day or two,” the NHC says, possibly becoming a major hurricane in the next few days.

After 72 hours, Barbara should begin to quickly weaken as it approaches the Central Pacific.

Its too early to know if Barbara will have any affect on Hawaiʻi Island weather. However, the National Weather Service in Honolulu made this note in its morning forecast discussion:

Looking ahead to next weekend, forerunners from the swell produced by East Pacific Tropical Cyclone Barbara may arrive along east facing shores of the Big Island, and possibly Maui, starting Friday night or Saturday morning, assuming the system intensifies as forecast by the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. It is too early to know the exact height of this swell at this time, so we will continue to monitor future tropical cyclone advisories and model guidance to determine any potential impacts that may occur along exposed shorelines.

The National Hurricane Center provided this discussion this morning, courtesy forecaster Avila: