Tropical Storm Kiko formed Sunday over the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Photo courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Aug. 31 (UPI) — A new tropical storm formed over the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, making Kiko the 11th named storm in the Eastern North Pacific this year.
Tropical Storm Kiko formed early Sunday and had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph as of 11 p.m. HST Sunday, according to an update from the National Hurricane Center.
It was located about 1,185 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California and was moving west at 8 mph.
The forecasters said they expect Kiko to steadily strengthen over the next couple of days. An NHC discussion on Kiko states they believe it will likely cross into the central Pacific basin in four to five days.
It is expected to grow to hurricane strength in the next two days.
“Kiko is currently a compact system,” NHC forecaster John Cangialosi said in the discussion.
“Although it is forecast to get larger, the model guidance suggests that it will likely be on the smaller side through the week.”
