Hurricane Lane now drenching Hawaii downgraded to Category 3 storm

Hurricane Lane, which has brought high winds and torrential rains to Hawaii, was downgraded to a Category 3 storm on Thursday afternoon, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said.

The storm, now packing maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour (201 kph), is passing to the south of the Big Island of Hawaii and is due to brush the Pacific island state as it moves south of the archipelago.

Reporting by Sandra Maler in Washington; Editing by Peter Cooney