Tropical Storm Gilma strengthens in East Pacific
![NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
The 5-day forecast track for Tropical Storm Gilma.](https://staradvertiser.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/web1_20240820_gil_11am.jpg)
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
The 5-day forecast track for Tropical Storm Gilma.
UPDATE: 11:15 a.m.
Tropical Storm Gilma continues to strengthen and could become a hurricane tonight, according to the National Hurricane Center of Miami.
As of 11 a.m., Gilma was about 840 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. Gilma was moving west near 12 mph.
A slightly slower westward to west-northwestward motion is expected over the next few days, according to officials.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles from the center.
Weather officials in Honolulu are monitoring Gilma as well as two other disturbances in the Eastern Pacific, but say they have “very little forecast confidence” in any potential impacts to the Hawaiian islands at this time.
Weather conditions this weekend will be “highly dependent” on any potential tropical cyclone development near the islands.
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Weather officials are monitoring two weather disturbances along with Tropical Storm Gilma in the East Pacific.
Although it is slightly weaker than it was on Monday, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami still expect Gilma to reach hurricane strength Wednesday night. Currently packing maximum sustained winds of 50 mph with higher gusts, Gilma was located 790 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja, Calif. as of 5 a.m. today and is moving to the west-northwest near 12 mph.
Weather officials say Gilma should slow in forward speed as it strengthens. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from Gilma’s center.
Closer to the Hawaiian islands, about 1,300 miles east-southeast of Hilo, two disturbances have generated a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms, forecasters say. Located over the western portion of the East Pacific basin, disturbances EP90 and E91 are expected to merge later today or tonight before becoming a tropical depression in the next couple of days as the disturbance moves west-northwest.
Weather officials say there is an 80% chance of EP90/E91 forming a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours. That’s up from a 70% probability Monday.
A high-pressure system is forecast to keep breezy tradewinds going for the Hawaii islands for most of the week, according to the National Weather Service.
However, winds should strengthen Thursday onward and weather may change by this weekend as “the potential for tropical cyclone activity increases near the Hawaii region,” the NWS said.