Hurricane Kiko slowly churned closer to Hawaii on Friday.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Hurricane Kiko was located at latitude 14.5°N and longitude 137.8°W which put the center about 1195 miles (1925 km) east-southeast of Hilo Hawaii.  Kiko was moving toward the west-northwest at 10 m.p.h. (16 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 130 m.p.h. (210 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 155 m.p.h. (250 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 951 mb.

After weakening briefly earlier on Friday Hurricane Kiko strengthened back to Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.  A circular eye with a diameter of 15 miles (24 km) was visible at the center of Kiko’s circulation.  The eye was surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the center of Hurricane Kiko.  Storms near the center of Kiko generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the hurricane.

The circulation around Hurricane Kiko was small.  Winds to hurricane force extended out 25 miles (40 km) from the center of Kiko’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 70 miles (110 km) from the center of Hurricane Kiko.

The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Hurricane Kiko was 25.1.  The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 8.5 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 33.6.  Hurricane Kiko was similar in intensity to Hurricane Harvey when Harvey hit Texas in 2017.  Kiko was not as large as Harvey was.

Hurricane Kiko will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Kiko 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 Kiko is likely to intensify during the next 24 hours unless an eyewall replacement cycle occurs.

Hurricane Kiko will move around the southwestern part of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will steer Kiko toward the west-northwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Hurricane Kiko will continue to move closer to Hawaii.