Hurricane Gilma Strengthens in Pacific, Moves Towards Hawaii
by Daniel McCarthy
While it has been a fairly active hurricane season in the Atlantic, which typically continues into the fall, the Pacific is now the subject of a growing major hurricane that could strike Hawaii as soon as this weekend.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Gilma is now a major hurricane, gathering strength over open waters in the East Pacific, and moving slowly at 6 mph west-northwest. At the moment, Gilma is producing winds of nearly 115 mph, making it a Category 3 Hurricane about 2,000 miles east of Hilo on the island of Hawai’i.
The question now is what impact the storm could have when, and if, it passes by Hawaii. The NHC currently has not issued a forecast for Hawaii, but the National Weather Service (NWS) of Honolulu has.
The NWS currently expects Gilma to strengthen over the next couple of days and then move near the Hawaiian Islands late this weekend or early next week.
The NWS is stressing that it remains “too early to determine the exact location and magnitude of potential impacts” but Hawaiian residents and travelers should take note, with the possibility of gusts of 50 mph on the islands and heavy rain when the storm does approach the islands. The forecast remains fluid and can change pretty quickly over the next few days.
Because of that level of uncertainty, no major airline has yet issued any waivers for travel through Hawaii this weekend.
