Hurricane Kiko has re-intensified into a Category 4 storm, just hours after briefly weakening to Category 3.
Meteorologists warned the hurricane is likely to maintain its strength through most of the weekend as it tracks closer to Hawaii, with flooding and heavy rainfall possible as early as Monday.
Officials are urging Hawaii’s 1.5 million residents to prepare now, with the storm’s projected path showing it nearing the Big Island early next week.
‘It’s time to get ready,’ Oahu Emergency Management said Friday, noting that impacts could be felt even if the storm’s center passes north of the islands.
Kiko is currently moving west-northwest at about 10 mph, a path expected to continue over the next few days as the system pushes into the central Pacific basin by Saturday morning.
Maximum sustained winds have reached 130 mph, with higher gusts, placing Kiko firmly at Category 4 status.
Forecasters expect further strengthening through Friday before the storm begins a slow weakening trend on Saturday.
The latest five-day forecast track keeps Kiko north of the islands through midweek, but nearly the entire state remains inside the storm’s ‘cone of uncertainty.’
Hurricane Kiko has re-intensified to a Category 4 storm, just hours after it dropped to a Category 3
The major hurricane was about 1,195 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.
Satellite imagery shows that Hurricane Kiko has improved significantly in organization since the last advisory, with its eye clearing and cold cloud tops wrapping more symmetrically around the center.
Most forecast models indicate that Kiko’s center could pass near the Hawaiian Islands between Tuesday and Wednesday as a tropical storm.
The extent of impacts will largely depend on how close the center tracks to the islands.
If it moves closer, parts of the chain could experience stronger wind gusts and heavier rainfall. If the system stays farther north, the islands may avoid the worst effects, experiencing mainly high surf, scattered showers, and occasional strong gusts over higher terrain and exposed coastlines.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Friday: ‘Kiko is forecast to approach the Hawaiian Islands during the early to the middle portion of next week.
‘Impacts from rain and wind remain a possibility, but it is too soon to determine the exact location or magnitude of these impacts, and interested there should continue to monitor the progress of this storm.’
No watches or warnings were in effect; however, people in Hawaii were advised to monitor the hurricane´s progress.
Meteorologists warned the hurricane is likely to maintain its strength through most of the weekend as it tracks closer to Hawaii , with flooding and heavy rainfall possible as early as Monday.
Officials are urging residents to prepare ahead of the hurricane
Hurricanes are ranked using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which rates hurricanes with categories 1 through 5.
Cyclones that are Category 3 or higher are considered major hurricanes. Kiko previously reached Category 4 on Wednesday.
The last major hurricane to directly strike Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki in September 1992.
It struck as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 145 mph on September 11, resulting in six deaths, destroying over 1,400 homes, and causing an estimated $3 billion in damage.
Kiko is already the 11th named system in the eastern Pacific this year, and the Pacific hurricane season still has three months left to go.
The season runs from May 15 until November 30, making it two weeks longer than the Atlantic hurricane season.
Previously, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had predicted a ‘below-normal season’ for the eastern Pacific, with 12 to 18 named storms, five to 10 hurricanes, and up to five major hurricanes.
Another Pacific hurricane formed early Wednesday morning, Lorena, which is swirling off the coast of Mexico and could threaten states like Arizona and New Mexico this weekend.
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