Hurricane Kiko's path shifts, sparing Hawaii from strong winds and heavy rain

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HONOLULU (AP) — Hurricane Kiko was tracking to the north of the Hawaiian islands, diminishing the threat of strong winds and widespread rain, the National Weather Service said Saturday.

Kiko was about 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) southeast of Hilo on the Big Island Saturday morning and was forecast to approach the state early to middle next week. Maximum sustained winds were 120 mph (195 kph), the weather service said.

At a Category 3 hurricane Saturday afternoon, Kiko was expected to gradually weaken over the next several days.

On Friday, acting Hawaii Gov. Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation declaring a state of emergency to prepare for possible inclement weather from Kiko.

“The threat for any wind is diminishing,” Joseph Clark, a meteorologist with the weather service in Honolulu, said Saturday. “With the storm going north, it tends to actually make the winds lighter than normal over the islands. So if the current track holds up, the winds will be pretty light, and it might end up being hot and muggy without much wind.”

Any rain will be isolated, sparing Hawaii from widespread, heavy rain, he said.

Kiko is bringing swells that are expected to begin reaching the Big Island and Maui by Sunday. The weather service warned of potentially life-threatening rip currents and surf along east-facing shores that's expected to reach 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters), which can cause some beach erosion issues.

Meteorologists were feeling confident about Kiko's path to the north of Hawaii, but Clark said things can change. If it shifts further south again, that would increase the chance for heavy rain, but if it shifts further north, Kiko's threat diminishes further, he said.