Kiko weakens as it passes Hawaii, bringing rain and rough surf

Tropical Storm Kiko, once a Category 4 hurricane, makes its pass north of the Hawaiian Islands early the morning of Sept. 10 ET.

Kiko is continuing to weaken as it passes just to the north of the Hawaiian Islands on Sept. 10, churning up rough surf and bringing rain showers, forecasters said.

Kiko, once a Category 4 hurricane as it traveled through the Pacific Ocean, has now been downgraded to a post-tropical storm as of the 11 a.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center. The system, now a remnant low, is 110 miles north of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rain was focused on the windward sides of Maui and the Island of Hawaii, or Big Island, the evening of Sept. 9 and is expected to spread inward on Sept. 10, according to the National Weather Service office in Honolulu.

Kiko's winds were sustained at about 35 mph and it was moving west at 12 mph. The westward movement is expected to continue as the storm weakens, avoiding a direct hit to Hawaii. Its impacts to the island should pass their peak on Sept. 10 as Kiko moves off to the west.

How much rain will Kiko bring?

Rainfall of up to 1 to 2 inches is expected across most of the islands as Kiko passes through Sept. 10, forecasters said. Wide shower coverage was expected overnight Sept. 9 over parts of Maui and Big Island, the weather service said. Some localized heavy downpours are possible, bur in general rainfall amounts should not exceed 1 inch per hour.

“As Kiko passes north of the islands, a plume of tropical moisture is forecast to extend over Hawaii and could lead to locally gusty thunderstorms and flash flooding,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.

There's also a fire risk on the leeward sides of the islands that have been experiencing drought, with Kiko disrupting trade wind patterns, AccuWeather reported.

Kiko kicks up rough surf

Tropical storm conditions extended to the northern offshore waters of Hawaii, the weather service said. High surf warnings were in place for the islands of Kauai and Oahu, but swells didn't reach as high as forecasters expected for Big Island, so surf warnings there were cancelled on Sept. 10.

Kiko's swells should peak by Wednesday across the waters of the western islands, the hurricane center said. Surf zone hazards from tropical storms can include large waves and strong rip currents, which swimmers might not be able to see from shore. Rip currents are fast-moving channels of water that flows away from the shore and can drag a swimmer way out into the ocean.

See Kiko's path

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kiko weakens as it passes Hawaii, bringing rain and rough surf

Reporting by Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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