Gilma to dissipate this weekend

Tropical Storm Gilma is “barely a tropical storm” and is expected to dissipate near the Hawaiian island of Kauai this weekend, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.

The NHC said a “continued motion toward slightly north of due west” is expected to continue into Thursday, followed by a turn toward the west-northwest on Friday as the “remnant low of Gilma passes near the Hawaiian Islands.”

“Gilma is expected to dissipate near Kauai on Saturday,” the NHC’s advisory says.

Maximum sustained winds are currently near 40 mph, with higher gusts, but continued weakening is expected Thursday and Friday. The NHC said there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu said early Thursday morning that Tropical Storms Gilma and Hector will “weaken considerably as they approach the state from the east” and that weather impacts from these systems are “favoring additional periods of wet weather” for the islands heading into the weekend.

Tropical Storm Gilma tracker

NHC tracking tropical disturbance in Atlantic

The National Hurricane Center also said early Thursday morning that a “broad area of disorganized showers over the central Tropical Atlantic” are associated with a tropical wave, and that “slow development” of this system is possible this weekend and into the middle of next week.

The NHC currently gives it a 20 percent chance of formation through the next seven days.

There have been more storms in the Pacific than the Atlantic so far this year, which comes as a surprise to forecasters. However, meteorologists have warned residents not to let their guard down when it comes to storms in the Atlantic basin.

AccuWeather forecasters are predicting “a major shift in the weather pattern will soon blow the doors wide open for a frenzy of tropical activity to unfold.” We might be seeing the beginning of that shift.

Between six and 10 tropical systems are predicted for September, according to AccuWeather meteorologists. That’s similar to the pace of the record-breaking 2020 hurricane season which had 10 September storms. The same year saw a record 30 named storms in the season.

Atlantic storm tracker

What is the next named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season?

The next named storm will be Francine.

Contributing: Doyle Rice & Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network