Hurricane Hone soaks Hawaii’s big island
Another hurricane is approaching the island. Not since the 1990s have two named storms come close to the islands within a week.
The National Hurricane Center is tracking a new disturbance in the central Atlantic, the agency said in its latest warning.
The low-pressure system could form in a few days in the central part of the tropical Atlantic, according to the NHC, where environmental conditions appear “generally favorable” for the system to slowly develop this weekend into early next week.
The disturbance is forecast to move west to west-northwest at 10 to 15 miles per hour and has a 20 percent chance of forming over the next seven days, according to the Hurricane Center.
Hurricane Gilma Tracker: See the predicted path of the second Pacific storm approaching Hawaii
Storm tracker for the Atlantic
Unusually quiet in the Atlantic
So far this year, including the three storms taking place on Monday, there have been more storms in the Pacific than in the Atlantic, and that’s a bit of a surprise, according to meteorologists. Plus, the Atlantic has been eerily quiet over the past week or so, even though we’re approaching what is traditionally the busiest time of the season.
“It’s quiet out there,” Phil Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University, told USA TODAY on Monday. “I certainly didn’t expect this in our latest seasonal forecast!”
Klotzbach said when we look at named storms (tropical storms, subtropical storms and hurricanes), the last time there was no named storm activity in the Atlantic was in 1997, from August 21 to September 2.
Busy time in the Pacific
About 1,260 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii, Hurricane Gilma is expected to continue moving west-northwest at an increasing speed Tuesday evening, forecasters said.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm was moving westward at about 8 mph on Monday evening, while maximum sustained winds decreased to about 100 mph. Ahead of its forecast gradual weakening, the center said Gilma would likely “remain a hurricane as it approaches the central Pacific basin.”
The coming hurricane is approaching after Tropical Storm Hone passed south of the Big Island early Sunday as a Category 1 hurricane, bringing heavy rains and as much as 18 inches of precipitation in some areas. Hone weakened to a topographical storm later Sunday night and moved west of the Aloha State.
The storm flooded major roads and knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses. Several beaches on the Big Island were closed and classes were canceled at five public schools due to the dangerous conditions. However, no major damage was reported.
If Gilma gets close enough soon, it would be the first time since 1992 that two named storms have come within 300 miles of the main Hawaiian islands in a week, according to AccuWeather.
A third system, named Hector, reached tropical storm status on Sunday as it developed about 1,000 miles west of Baja California, the NHC reported.
Hector, located east of Gilma, produced sustained winds of up to 65 mph Monday, heading west at 13 mph. Meteorologists said the winds will slowly strengthen over the next few days.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on X. @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].
