India, July 24 -- Hurricane Fausto has strengthened into a Category 2 storm over the Pacific Ocean, with forecasters warning that the system could bring wind and rainfall impacts to Hawaii as it moves closer to the islands next week.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said Friday that the possibility of impacts in Hawaii is increasing, although it is still too early to determine the storm's exact track or the severity of conditions it could bring.

"Interests in the Hawaiian Islands should monitor the progress of Fausto," the hurricane center said in an advisory.

As of Friday, Hurricane Fausto was far from any major landmass.

The storm was located about 1,400 miles (2,250 kilometers) west of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja ...