Tropical Storm Gil was officially upgraded to Hurricane Gil as of 2:00 p.m. PST on Wednesday, July 31. Since that time Gil has only continued to intensify as it heads westward into the Pacific, in the general direction of the Hawaiian Islands.
As of the latest public advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) at 2:00 p.m. PST on Thursday, Aug. 1, Hurricane Gil was located approximately 1,1,60 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.
The center of Gil was located near latitude 14.3 north and longitude 125.1 west. Gil is moving toward the west at nearly 12 mph and this motion is expected to continue over the next 48 hours.
Although forecasters cannot accurately predict the strength or exact direction of a storm with pinpoint accuracy past a five-day period, the five-day forecast pictured below shows Hurricane Gil on a general westward trajectory toward the Hawaiian Islands.
Maximum sustained winds for this storm remain near 80 mph with higher gusts being recorded. Hurricane force winds are extending outward up to 25 miles from the center of the storm, while tropical storm force winds are reaching outward up to 60 miles.
While some small changes in intensity are likely over the next 12 hours, there is no overall change in the strength of the storm anticipated over the next day or two.
As Gil continues churning through the Pacific, two nearby areas of questionable weather have risen above the ocean, each with the possibility of developing into a tropical cyclone or storm.
To the west of Gil, an area of disturbed weather has developed approximately 1,400 east-southeast of Hawaii. Slow development of this system is possible over the next several days as it moves westward near 10 to 15 mph. The system has a low chance of becoming a tropical cyclone over the next 48 hours, but a slightly increased chance over the next five days.
To the east of Hurricane Gil, showers and thunderstorms associated with an area of low pressure have developed about 850 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. Although the weather remains poorly organized, environmental conditions over the next couple of days are ripe for development of a storm. The system has a medium chance of becoming a tropical cyclone over the next 48 hours and a slightly higher chance of developing over the next five days.