The National Weather Service on Saturday issued a tropical storm watch for the Big Island and Maui County as Hurricane Felicia approaches.

Felicia remained a Category 1 hurricane late Saturday night with maximum sustained winds near 80 mph.

The hurricane is moving west at about 15 mph. The center of the hurricane is 760 miles east of Hilo.

The National Weather Service launched a "Hurricane Hunter" C-130 early Saturday morning to fly over Felicia to get more accurate readings with the aircraft's scientific equipment. Those results should be in Saturday night.

Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center said they expect the storm to slowly weaken as it moves over cooler waters in the next couple of days. Felicia is projected to be a tropical storm by Sunday, forecasters said.

KITV 4 meteorologist Justin Fujioka said the storm is projected to be a tropical depression or less when it reaches the Hawaiian Islands late Monday. However, he wants residents to remember that even a tropical depression can bring heavy rains, winds and flooding.

Hawaii officials stress that residents should be prepared. They asked that people keep up with the news on Felicia.

While Felicia is forecasted to decrease in strength, hurricanes in general are unpredictable. Stay with KITV, KITV.com and Oceanic Cable digital channel 126 for updates on the storm.