Major Hurricane Darby churned toward the Central Pacific Ocean on Tuesday. At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Hurricane Darby was located at latitude 14.7°N and longitude 129.7°W which put it about 1410 miles (2270 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Darby was moving toward the west at 16 m.p.h. (26 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 125 m.p.h. (200 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 150 m.p.h. (240 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 959 mb.

Hurricane Darby had a small, but very symmetrical, circulation on Tuesday. A circular eye with a diameter of 12 miles (19 km) was at the center of Hurricane Darby. The eye was surrounded by a ring of strong thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. Several bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the small core of Hurricane Darby. Storms near the core generated strong upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the hurricane. Winds to hurricane force extended out 15 miles (25 km) from the center of Darby’s circulation. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 50 miles (80 km) from the center of circulation.

Darby continued to exhibit the appearance of a small, annular hurricane. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Hurricane Darby was 23.6. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 5.2 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 28.8.

Hurricane Darby will move into an environment unfavorable for intensification during the next 36 hours. Darby will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 27˚C. It will move through a region where the upper level winds are weak and there will be little vertical wind shear. Hurricane Darby will move over cooler water during the next several days as it moves toward the west. Darby is likely to weaken gradually as it moves over the cooler water.

Hurricane Darby will move around the southern side of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Darby toward the west during the next 36 hours. On its anticipated track Hurricane Darby will cross into the Central Pacific Ocean on Wednesday night.