Tropical Storm Hone made its way through the Hawaiian Islands as a Category 1 Hurricane on Aug. 25, eventually weakening into a tropical storm.
The islands are now facing the possibility of back-to-back storms, as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is predicting that Hurricane Gilma will be approaching the area by Labor Day Weekend, just days after Hurricane Hone.
According to Ian Morrison from the National Weather Service’s Honolulu office, seeing storms arrive in such close succession is not uncommon when the East Pacific is active in generating multiple storms, although it does not happen every year.
Pacific hurricanes typically form off the coast of Mexico in the eastern Pacific and move westward. Currently, there are three named storms in the Pacific, with Tropical Storm Hector trailing behind Gilma.
The NHC noted a slight increase in Gilma’s intensity, with the storm’s eye becoming more symmetric and showing impressive convection. However, the forecast also predicts a gradual weakening of the storm beginning tonight, with Gilma transitioning into a post-tropical storm within the next four days.
Morrison explained that the weakening of Gilma is due to increased wind shear and cooler waters. The storm is projected to pass to the north of the islands, while Hone’s path stays to the south.
After reaching its peak strength as a Category 3 Hurricane on Aug. 22, Gilma is expected to bring significant rainfall to Hawaii but is not anticipated to bring the same level of tropical-storm-force winds as Hone.
“We are hoping for the rain now to kind of update the drought conditions we have on the leeward side for the island,” Morrison stated.
Despite the predictions, Morrison emphasized that it is still too early to determine the exact impact of Gilma on the Hawaiian Islands.
“It’s hard to say with it still being … five days out in the forecast,” he said. “And with the weakening system, it’s also more difficult to predict the track because it’s getting sheared apart.”
