Category 4 Hurricane Kiko is heading for Hawaii — but it will weaken before it gets there, forecasters say

Satellite imagery shows Hurricane Kiko in the Pacific Ocean as it moves toward Hawaii.

Hurricane Kiko is currently a Category 4 strength, but it will likely weaken over the coming days. (Image credit: NOAA GOES Image Viewer)

A Category 4 hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean could hit Hawaii early next week, but it will weaken considerably before it gets there, storm predictions show.

Hurricane Kiko rapidly intensified from a tropical storm on Monday (Sept. 1) to a Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday (Sept. 3), according to The Weather Channel. The storm is moving westward and currently tracking across a region of warm water and low wind shear roughly 1,300 miles (2,100 kilometers) southeast of Hawaii, meaning it could strengthen in the next few hours, forecasters said.

The latest National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast suggests Hurricane Kiko is heading for Hawaii and may reach the islands by Tuesday or Wednesday next week (Sept. 9 or 10). Kiko is whipping up winds of up to 145 mph (230 km/h), according to a CNN video — but meteorologists predict that these gusts will weaken over the weekend to the levels of a tropical storm or low-category hurricane.

Kiko is "yet another example of a hurricane undergoing rapid intensification amongst extremely warm waters," Brandon Miller, a senior meteorologist and supervising weather producer for CNN, said in the video. However, it's highly unlikely that the storm will remain as powerful as it is now through Sept. 9 or 10, Miller said, because it has to pass through a patch of relatively cold water and trade winds first.

Hurricane Kiko will likely hit the cool, windy patch on Sunday (Sept. 7), which will reduce some of the storm’s intensity, according to The Weather Channel. Pockets of dry air hovering to the east of Hawaii will further slow the storm and Kiko will also be forced to cross wind shear that will cut the ground from under its feet.

It's possible that Hurricane Kiko will miss Hawaii entirely, as the storm is expected to gain latitude through early next week. A "cone of uncertainty" shared by the NHC — which sums up the different paths that Hurricane Kiko might follow in the shape of an elongated, sideways teardrop — shows that Kiko's center track could move north of Hawaii, which would avert some of the storm's worst impacts on the archipelago.

A map showing the predicted storm track of Hurricane Kiko in the East Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. — Hurricane Kiko could make landfall in Hawaii early next week, but it could also pass by the islands. (Image credit: National Hurricane Center/NOAA)

But hurricanes don't have to make landfall to bring bad weather. "Don't let your guard down, Hawaiians," Miller said. "Kiko could still bring impacts to the island, such as flooding rainfall and gusty winds."