Hurricane Bonnie moved south of Baja California on Wednesday afternoon. At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday the center of Hurricane Bonnie was located at latitude 16.5°N and longitude 110.1°W which put it about 440 miles (710 km) south of the southern tip of Baja California. Bonnie was moving toward the west-northwest at 11 m.p.h. (19 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 105 m.p.h. (165 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 125 m.p.h. (200 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 972 mb.

Hurricane Bonnie moved toward the west-northwest over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean south of Baja California on Wednesday afternoon. A small circular eye with a diameter of 10 miles (16 km) was at the center of Bonnie’s circulation. The eye was surrounded by a ring of strong thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. The inner end of a rainband wrapped around the small eye and eyewall at times, and it appeared that there could be concentric eyewalls. Other bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the small core of Hurricane Bonnie. Storms near the core generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the hurricane.

The circulation around Hurricane Bonnie was still small. Winds to hurricane force extended out 15 miles (25 km) from the center of Bonnie. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 80 miles (130 km) from the center. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Hurricane Bonnie was 17.8. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 5.4 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 23.2.

Hurricane Bonnie will move through an environment that will become less favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours. Bonnie will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 27˚C. It will move under the southeastern part of an upper level ridge over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The ridge will produce easterly winds that will blow toward the top of Bonnie’s circulation. Those winds will cause some vertical wind shear. The wind shear will inhibit intensification. Hurricane Bonnie is likely to weaken slowly during the next 24 hours, when it moves over slightly cooler water. If concentric eyewalls develop and persist, then an eyewall replacement cyclone could cause Bonnie to weaken more quickly. Since the circulation around Hurricane Bonnie is so small, any change in the environment could have a big impact on the intensity of Bonnie.

Hurricane Bonnie will move south of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Bonnie toward the west-northwest during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track Hurricane Bonnie will southwest of Baja California during the next several days.