Hurricane Gilma tracker: Check out the Category 3 storm's projected path
By Amaris Encinas, Julia Gomez and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY,
2024-08-23
Hurricane Gilda's path as it moves through open waters. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Hurricane Gilma continues to move slowly across East Pacific waters but isn't expected to bring extreme weather to Hawaii until the end of the month.
The storm will remain a "major" hurricane on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center's public advisory . It reached Category 3 status on Thursday when wind speeds were steady at 120 miles per hour, the center reported. No coastal warnings or watches are in effect yet.
"Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles," according to the NHC's public advisory.
Hurricane Gilma is currently more than 1,000 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii and over 1,000 miles west-southwest of the Baja California peninsula's southern tip in Mexico.
Hurricane Gilma was "churning" between two other unnamed Pacific storms, one near Hawaii and a tropical disturbance to the southeast on Thursday afternoon, which could prompt a Tropical Storm Watch for portions of the main Hawaiian Islands as early as Thursday night or Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wrote on X.
Hurricane Gilma live tracker
Weather and climate, explained. Sign up for USA TODAY's Climate Point newsletter.
Tropical Storm Hone poses fire risk to Hawaii
Meanwhile, officials are concerned over a tropical depression that strengthened into Tropical Storm Hone Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, about 1,090 miles east of Honolulu.
Hone is expected to keep developing as it nears Hawaii before passing the islands by the end of the weekend or early next week.
"Interests in Hawaii should closely monitor this disturbance, though it remains too early to determine the exact location and magnitude of potential impacts," according to the NHC.
Hawaiians are keeping watch on first named storm of the 2024 central Pacific hurricane season a year after the island of Maui faced the wildfires that killed 102 people and destroyed the town of Lahaina. A faraway hurricane majorly contributed to the blaze, which became the deadliest wildfire in the U.S in over a century .
News about our weather and planet: Sign up for USA TODAY's Climate Point newsletter.
'Extremely active' hurricane season, NOAA says
This year has proved to be an "extremely active hurricane season" as atmospheric and oceanic conditions have set the stage for it be the busiest on record, according to NOAA's website.
Hurricane Ernesto hit Bermuda last weekend, bringing with it life-threatening surf and rip currents to East Coast shores. And last month, Hurricane Beryl caused "catastrophic damage" and took the lives of 20 people as it slammed into multiple Carribean islands.
A "preliminary death toll" of 25 was recorded after it made landfall in the U.S., moving across Texas, Lousisana and Vermont, according to NOAA.
There is the possibility that anywhere between 17 to 24 storms in the Atlantic could be named and anywhere between eight to 13 of them could become hurricanes, while four to seven could become major hurricanes with winds greater than 111 mph.
Approximately 14 storms are named, usually. Seven become hurricanes and three become major hurricanes in hurricane season, which occurs from June 1 through November 30.
What are the 2024 hurricane season names?
Atlantic
According to the National Hurricane Center, these are the list of names for the 2024 hurricane season:
Alberto
Beryl
Chris
Debby
Ernesto
Francine
Gordon
Helene
Isaac
Joyce
Kirk
Leslie
Milton
Nadine
Oscar
Patty
Rafael
Sara
Tony
Valerie
William
Eastern North Pacific
Aletta
Bud
Carlotta
Daniel
Emilia
Fabio
Gilma
Hector
Ileana
John
Kristy
Lane
Miriam
Norman
Olivia
Paul
Rosa
Sergio
Tara
Vicente
Willa
Xavier
Yolanda
Zeke
Contributing: Christopher Cann, Doyle Rice, Mike Snider, Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, Jennifer Sangalang, Florida Today
That’s what I like about reading all these great comments so informative and knowledgeable I’m so so surprised that there is only 4 people running for the position as President and Vice President.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
