Gilma (2012)

A tropical depression formed about 520 nautical miles west-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, on 7 August 2012 after a tropical wave moved into the eastern North Pacific. The system strengthened to Tropical Storm Gilma later that day and moved generally west-northwest to north-northwest under steering from a mid-level high. Gilma reached hurricane strength on 8 August, then weakened through increasing wind shear and cooler waters and lost deep convection on 11 August. The remnant circulation turned westward and southwestward and dissipated around 14 August about 750 n mi west of the southern tip of Baja California.

Gilma remained well offshore for its entire life and did not make landfall. No coastal watches or warnings were issued, and there were no reported impacts to coastal communities in Mexico or the United States.

The storm’s peak intensity was analyzed at 70 knots (80 mph) with a minimum central pressure of 984 mb at 0600 UTC on 9 August 2012, corresponding to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale. Peak Dvorak estimates from analysis centers ranged from 65 to 77 kt, which were blended to the 70-kt best estimate.

Because Gilma stayed at sea, there were no reports of storm surge or rainfall impacts at land locations in the official record. The only notable surface observations came from the ship CSAV Rio Bueno (A8WC8), which reported winds near 30 kt while about 180 nmi south of Gilma’s center on 7–8 August.

There were no reported fatalities or damage attributed to Gilma. The storm produced no direct or indirect casualties in the NHC record and did not affect populated areas.

Forecasts of Gilma’s formation and track were generally good. The system’s development was first mentioned in outlooks about 54 hours before genesis and the official NHC track and intensity forecasts had smaller-than-average errors compared with recent five-year means for this event.