(BIVN) – A Wind Advisory has been issued for much of Hawaiʻi island, as a High Surf Advisory remains in effect for north-facing shores of East Hawaiʻi.

Northeast winds 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 55 mph, are possible today for the Big Island, excluding most of Kona and leeward Kaʻū.

Meanwhile, large breaking waves of 10 to 14 feet have closed the Hāmākua bound lane of the Hilo Bayfront Highway. The Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense also announced that County beach parks in Keaukaha will remain closed Wednesday.

The high surf is the result of strong trade winds near and upstream of the islands, the National Weather Service says. The High Surf Advisory is expected to remain in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday.

There are some fire weather concerns for Hawaiʻi island today. “A few hours of near critical fire weather conditions are possible late this morning as relative humidity may briefly fall into the mid to upper 40s due to a transient dry slot moving across the state,” the National Weather Service wrote in a morning forecast discussion. “However, this should be short-lived as low-level moisture embedded in the trades quickly fills in behind.”

Hawaiian Electric says it is monitoring the high winds and dry conditions on Maui and Hawaiʻi island. The utility says its Public Safety Power Shutoff program is in a “watch” condition, “meaning that if weather conditions intensify in the next 24 to 48 hours Hawaiian Electric may proactively shut off power in communities with high exposure to wildfire risk.”

“A watch doesn’t mean we will shut off power, only that we are monitoring it closely in areas at the highest risk for wildfires,” said Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president and chief operations officer, in a Wednesday news release. “While we hope shutting off power won’t be necessary, we have to take this threat seriously and we urge our customers to be prepared and stay informed.”

“Additional areas of moisture moving into the state should help to keep relative humidity from reaching critical thresholds for the remainder of the week,” the NWS forecasters stated.