Hurricane Hector, swirling harmlessly in the Pacific some 1,700 miles (2,760 km) east of the Big Island, was expected to grow into a "major hurricane" on Saturday, meaning that its maximum sustained winds would reach at least 111 miles per hour (179 km per hour). Storms of that strength, classified as a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, are considered capable of causing devastating damage to populated areas.