<span style="color: #222222;">In the US, the National Hurricane Center has said that tropical storm Erick has grown in strength to a hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean.<br />'' <br />'' The storm is not expected to make landfall but parts of Hawaii could see increased wind gusts and rain as Erick slides just south of the Big Island on Thursday.<br />'' <br />''According to a forecast from the National Weather Service released on Monday, Hurricane Erick could whip sea waters up to anywhere between 7 and 16 feet by Thursday night.</span><br />