After not changing much during the overnight hours, Hilda intensified rapidly into a hurricane on Friday afternoon.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Hurricane Hilda was located at latitude 12.8°N and longitude 138.3°W which put it about 1215 miles (1950 km) east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.  Hilda was moving toward the wet at 15 m.p.h. (24 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 80 m.p.h. (130 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 90 m.p.h. (145 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 984 mb.

Hurricane has a very small circulation.  Hurricane force winds extend out less than 15 miles (25 km) from the center of circulation and tropical storm force winds extend out about 70 miles (110 km) from the center.  In spite of its small size, the circulation is well organized.  A clear eye is visible on satellite images and there is a well formed eyewall around the eye.  There are not  many spiral bands because of the small size of the circulation.

Hilda is moving over water where the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) is near 29°C.  It is in an area where the upper level winds are light and there is not much vertical wind shear.  Further intensification is likely and rapid intensification is possible during the next 24 hours.  Eventually, when Hilda moves farther west it will move over cooler SSTs and encounter more vertical wind shear.  Given the small size of Hilda, it could also weaken very quickly when it moves into a more hostile environment.

A subtropical ridge is steering Hilda toward the west and that general motion is expected to continue for several more days.  When Hilda gets closer to Hawaii, southwesterly winds in the upper levels are expected to turn it more toward the northwest.