HONOLULU (AP) - Hurricane Flossie packed 140 mph wind as it spun closer to Hawaii on Sunday, but forecasters predicted the Category 4 storm would weaken before passing by the islands later this week.

The hurricane was expected to pass about 70 miles south of the island of Hawaii late Tuesday or early Wednesday, but by then cooler water should weaken it to a Category 1 hurricane or a strong tropical storm.

However, Hawaii was still on alert just in case the storm keeps its strength and veers closer.

At 11 a.m. EDT, Flossie was 810 miles east-southeast of Hilo, and had maximum sustained wind near 140 mph with gusts reaching 165. It was traveling west at about 12 mph.

"Dangerous Hurricane Flossie continues to travel across the open waters of the north central Pacific Ocean," the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said in a statement.

Two Air Force WC-130 hurricane tracker aircraft were dispatched from Mississippi and was expected to fly into the storm to gather measurements later in the day, said John Bravender, a forecaster at the center.

Even though the eye of the storm may miss the Hawaiian islands, Flossie could still bring strong wind and heavy rain to the islands, forecasters said.

The southeastern shore of the Big Island of Hawaii could see waves of 8 to 12 feet, forecasters said, with the surf rising during the day Monday and peaking Tuesday. The island's South Point is the southernmost area of the United States.

State civil defense officials urged residents to be prepared because of the unpredictable nature of hurricanes, saying a one or two degree direction change could make a big difference.

The last time a hurricane hit Hawaii was in 1992, when Iniki ravaged Kauai, killing six people and causing $2.5 billion in damage.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. In May, forecasters said the Hawaiian islands and the rest of the central Pacific faced a slightly below-average hurricane season, with just two or three tropical cyclones expected because of lower sea surface temperatures.

The islands get an average of 4.5 tropical cyclones a year and one hurricane about every 15 years. Last year, the central Pacific had five tropical cyclones after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted two to three.

On July 21, a tropical depression moved past the Big Island, bringing a few inches of rain to the parched island but no major problems. Cosme, the year's first Pacific tropical cyclone, reached hurricane status for a day before it weakened.