Hurricane Gilma continues to move slowly over the waters of the Eastern Pacific, but is not expected to bring extreme weather to Hawaii until the end of the month.
The storm will remain a “major” hurricane on Friday, the National Hurricane Center’s public warning said. It reached Category 3 on Thursday, when sustained winds were at 120 mph, the center reported. Coastal warnings or watches are not yet in effect.
“Hurricane-force winds extend up to 35 miles outward from the center and tropical storm-force winds extend up to 115 miles outward,” the NHC’s public warning said.
Hurricane Gilma is currently located more than 1,000 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii and more than 1,000 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico.
Hurricane Gilma was “simmering” Thursday afternoon between two other unnamed storms in the Pacific, one near Hawaii and a tropical disturbance to the southeast that could trigger a tropical storm warning for parts of Hawaii’s main islands as early as Thursday night or Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wrote on X.
Live tracker for Hurricane Gilma
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Tropical Storm Hone poses fire risk for Hawaii
Meanwhile, authorities are concerned about a tropical depression that strengthened into Tropical Storm Hone about 1,090 miles east of Honolulu on Thursday, reaching sustained winds of up to 40 mph.
Hone is expected to continue to develop as it approaches Hawaii before passing the islands late this weekend or early next week.
“Hawaii stakeholders should closely monitor this disturbance, although it is too early to determine the exact location and extent of potential impacts,” the NHC said in the statement.
Hawaiians are watching for the first named storm of the 2024 Central Pacific hurricane season, a year after the island of Maui was ravaged by wildfires that killed 102 people and destroyed the town of Lahaina. A faraway hurricane was a major contributor to the blaze, which became the most devastating wildfire in the United States in over a century.
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NOAA: Hurricane season “extremely active”
This year has proven to be an “extremely active hurricane season” as atmospheric and oceanic conditions have set the stage for it to be the strongest hurricane season on record, according to the NOAA website.
Hurricane Ernesto hit Bermuda last weekend, bringing life-threatening surf and rip currents to the east coast. And last month, Hurricane Beryl caused “catastrophic damage” and claimed 20 lives when it struck several Caribbean islands.
According to NOAA, a “preliminary death toll” of 25 was recorded after the storm made landfall in the United States, moving across Texas, Louisiana and Vermont.
There is a possibility that between 17 and 24 storms will be named in the Atlantic, and between eight and 13 of them will develop into hurricanes, while four to seven could develop into major hurricanes with wind speeds exceeding 110 mph (178 km/h).
Typically, about 14 storms are named. During hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, seven become hurricanes and three become major hurricanes.
What are the names of the 2024 hurricane season?
Atlantic
According to the National Hurricane Center, these are the name lists for the 2024 hurricane season:
- Alberto
- beryl
- Chris
- Debbie
- Ernesto
- Francine
- Gordon
- Helen
- Isaac
- Joyce
- Church
- Leslie
- Milton
- Nadine
- Oscar
- Patrick
- Rafael
- Sarah
- Tony
- Valerie
- William
Eastern North Pacific
- Aletta
- bud
- Carlotta
- Daniel
- Emilia
- Fabio
- Gilma
- bullying
- Ileana
- John
- Kristy
- roadway
- Miriam
- Norman
- Olivia
- Paul
- Pink
- Sergio
- Tara
- Vicente
- Willa
- Xavier
- Yolanda
- Zeke
Contributors: Christopher Cann, Doyle Rice, Mike Snider, Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, Jennifer Sangalang, Florida Today
