Hurricane Iona has strengthened to Category 3, several hundred miles south-southeast of Hawaii HONOLULU -- Iona strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane several hundred miles south-southeast of Hawaii,

At 11 a.m., Iona was located about 735 miles south-southeast of Honolulu, packing maximum sustained winds of 125 mph with higher gusts. The hurricane was moving west at 14 mph, and forecasters expect that motion to continue with some increase in forward speed over the next couple of days.

Hurricane Iona was expected to move westward and does not pose any land threat to the Hawaiian Islands, forecasters said.