Gilma — 2024

A well-defined low formed from a tropical wave over the eastern Pacific and became Tropical Depression Gilma about 500 nautical miles south of the southern tip of Baja California at 0600 UTC on 18 August 2024. The system moved generally west-northwestward, strengthened to a tropical storm later that day, and reached hurricane strength on 21 August. Gilma was long lived, crossing into the central Pacific basin and weakening to a remnant low before dissipating on 30 August 2024 well east of the Hawaiian Islands. Gilma did not make landfall at any time. It remained over open water throughout its life, and no coastal watches or warnings were issued. The storm’s peak intensity was estimated at 115 knots (132 mph) with a minimum central pressure of 950 mb at 0000 and 0600 UTC on 25 August 2024, corresponding to a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The best-track record shows Gilma fluctuated between major hurricane strength and weaker hurricane intensity during its peak period before gradually weakening. There were no reports of storm surge or rainfall impacts to land in the report, and no specific surge heights or rainfall totals at cities or counties were recorded. Because Gilma stayed well offshore, observational reports of surge and heavy rain on land were not available or noted. No casualties or damage were reported in association with Gilma. The report explicitly states there were no reports of damage or fatalities (direct or indirect) linked to the storm. Noteworthy points include two episodes of rapid intensification that were larger than forecast, which caused official intensity forecasts to have a sizeable low bias and larger errors than recent averages. Track forecasts for Gilma were better than the previous 5‑year mean at all lead times, while intensity guidance from some regional and consensus models captured the rapid changes better than several dynamical-statistical models.