Hurricane Kiko officially crossed from the Eastern North Pacific to the Central Pacific Ocean on Saturday.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday the center of Hurricane Kiko was located at latitude 16.1°N and longitude 141.4°W which put the center about 935 miles (1500 km) east-southeast of Hilo Hawaii.  Kiko was moving toward the west-northwest at 12 m.p.h. (19 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 120 m.p.h. (195 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 140 m.p.h. (220 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 954 mb.

Hurricane Kiko was gradually weakening as it crossed into the Central Pacific on Saturday.  Even though Kiko was weakening, it remained a well organized major hurricane.  A circular eye with a diameter of 15 miles (24 km) was still present 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 generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the hurricane.  The removal of mass in the upper atmosphere was less than the inflow of mass in the lower levels.  So, the surface pressure was increasing gradually.

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 80 miles (130 km) from the center of Hurricane Kiko.

The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Hurricane Zeta was 22.1.  The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 8.0 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 30.1.  Hurricane Kiko was similar in size to Hurricane Zeta when Zeta hit Louisiana in 2020.  Kiko was stronger than Zeta was.

Hurricane Kiko will move through an environment that will be unfavorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Kiko will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 26°C.  The water just to the north of Kiko’s forecast track is even colder.  It will move through a region where the upper level winds are weak and there will be little vertical wind shear.  Kiko will move into a region of drier air.  The combination of marginal Sea Surface Temperatures and drier air will cause Hurricane Kiko to continue to weaken gradually during the next 24 hours.

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 be east of Hawaii on Sunday night.