Hawaii closed schools and some government offices while opening emergency shelters Wednesday as it prepared for a hurricane with sustained winds of 155 miles an hour.

Hurricane warnings were in effect for the islands of Hawai’i and Maui as Hurricane Lane, located 460 miles southeast of Honolulu on Wednesday morning, headed toward the state. Hurricane watches, a less severe designation, were in effect for the islands of Oahu and Kauai.

Hurricane Lane was downgraded Wednesday morning to a Category 4 Storm from Category 5, the most intense level, by the National Weather Service. It was forecast to continue its northwest turn into the islands Thursday, the Associated Press said, which would make it the most powerful storm to hit Hawaii since Hurricane Iniki in 1992.

The Big Island was already starting to see Lane’s first effects, Gov. David Ige said at a news conference Wednesday.

The eastern side of the island picked up nearly 3 inches of rain in three hours by Wednesday evening, said Matt Foster, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, according to the AP.