CBS NEWS

Hurricane Kiko, a Category 3 storm, is swirling in the Pacific Ocean and heading west in a direction toward Hawaii.

Forecasters warned that swells from the storm could reach the Hawaiian Islands by the end of the weekend and cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.

As of early Friday morning, the storm was located some 1,300 miles east-southeast of Hilo and about 1,500 miles from Honolulu, the National Hurricane Center said in an early morning advisory. Its maximum sustained winds were topping 125 mph and it was moving west at around 9 mph.

Some strengthening is possible before Kiko is expected to weaken on Friday night through the weekend.

No coastal watches or warnings were effect as of Friday morning.

Maps show Hurricane Kiko's forecast path
While Kiko is traveling slowly, Hawaii is becoming more in its line of sight for potential direct impacts like winds and rainfall starting on Monday. The main threats are forecast for Tuesday, according to Nikki Nolan, a meteorologist for CBS News and Stations.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu is monitoring Kiko's possible impacts and anticipating heavy rainfall leading to potential flooding — along with high surf — early next week.

This map details the forecast path of the storm, showing it moving closer to the Hawaiian Islands this weekend:

As the CBS affiliate in Honolulu notes, however, it is too soon to tell where exactly the storm will go in relation to Hawaii as the forecast track can change.

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