Hurricane Ana Heads towards Hawaii

Tropical Storm Ana strengthened into a hurricane on Friday and was moving in the direction of Hawaii but was not expected to make a direct hit on the islands, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

It said Ana had maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (120 kph) and was located 230 miles (365 km) south of Hilo on the Big Island.

The center's storm tracking map showed Ana passing south of the Hawaiian islands. No hurricane has landed a direct hit on Hawaii since Iniki, a Category 4 storm that struck in September of 1992, killing six people and causing damages estimated at $2.4 billion.

(Reporting by Sandra Maler in Washington; Editing by Jim Loney)