Eastern shores of Hawaii island are under a high surf warning as Category 3 Hurricane Olaf remains well southeast of the state.

The warning, along with a high surf advisory for east-facing shores of Maui, is in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday. The National Weather Service said Olaf will produce hazardous surf for Hawaii island and Maui into the weekend, and the large swell will spread across the island chain by Saturday.

Olaf-generated waves from 12 to 18 feet are expected, forecasters said. 

“Expect ocean water occasionally sweeping across portions of beaches, very strong breaking waves and strong longshore and rip currents. Breaking waves may occasionally impact harbors making navigating the harbor channel dangerous,” the weather service warning said.

Olaf, with sustained maximum winds of 120 mph, was centered 800 miles southeast of Hilo and 1,010 miles southeast of Honolulu, moving northwest at 9 mph, at 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Hurricane-force winds extend 35 miles from the center, while tropical storm-force winds reach 160 miles from Olaf’s center.

Forecasters predict Olaf, which peaked as a strong Category 4 hurricane, to continue weakening as it heads north, then northeast, over cooler waters and farther away from the Hawaiian islands.  

The storm is forecast to pass well east and north of the islands and should not have a major impact on Hawaii’s weather, except for sending high surf and changing the wind direction more to the northeast. By Monday, the forecast shows Olaf as a tropical storm moving northeast and toward the mainland.

Forecasters say large swells generated by Olaf should begin reaching east-facing shores of the Big Island today and other islands starting Thursday. The surf could become “potentially life-threatening and damaging,” forecasters said.

Olaf is the 15th tropical cyclone in the Central Pacific in 2015, far surpassing the previous record of 11 in 1992 and 1994. It is also the eighth hurricane in the Central Pacific this season, topping the previous record of five in 1994.

Warmer-than-normal waters from El Nino conditions have helped fuel tropical cyclones in the East and Central Pacific, scientists say. With about six weeks remaining in the hurricane season, forecasters urge Hawaii residents to remain vigilant and prepared.

In the East Pacific, Tropical Storm Patricia formed off the Mexican coast, becoming the 16th tropical storm of the East Pacific season, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Patricia picked up strength as it neared Mexico’s Pacific coast, prompting officials to issue a hurricane warning and caution about heavy rains and flooding.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and was forecast to become a hurricane early Thursday. The hurricane center in Miami warned that it could become a major hurricane before making landfall on Mexico’s central Pacific coast on Friday.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the Mexican coast from Cabo Corrientes to Punta San Telmo, a stretch of coastline that includes the port city of Manzanillo.

A tropical storm warning was declared from Punta San Telmo east to Lazaro Cardenas.

The storm’s center was about 240 miles south of Acapulco with movement toward the west-northwest near 14 mph.

The hurricane center said Patricia was expected to bring heavy rain to the states of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.