1994 Eastern Pacific hurricane season
Hurricane Gilma 1994
Hurricane Gilma crossed into the central Pacific at Category 5 strength in July 1994. By the time it approached Johnston Atoll, wind shear had reduced it to a tropical storm.
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161 mph
Jul 24, 1994 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A small eye over warm water
A tropical wave entered the eastern Pacific in mid-July and developed into a depression southwest of Baja California on July 21. Gilma became a tropical storm the next day and a hurricane about 24 hours later. Water near 29°C and low wind shear supported its growth, with a small eye forming inside deep thunderstorms.
Gilma entered the central Pacific on July 24 and reached peak one-minute winds of 140 kt, with a central pressure of 920 hPa. It held Category 5 strength for about 12 hours before wind shear disrupted the hurricane.
Weakening near Johnston Atoll
By July 28, Gilma's low-level circulation lay exposed outside its thunderstorms. The tropical storm passed within about 100 miles of Johnston Atoll, bringing light rain, surf and gusts near gale force. Gilma weakened to a depression on July 30 and dissipated south of Midway Atoll the following day, without making landfall.
Further reading
NOAA IBTrACS v04r01 historical track archive
QUICK ANSWERS
Gilma in brief
What was Hurricane Gilma's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Jul 24, 1994, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Hurricane Gilma?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Jul 24, 1994, 03:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane Gilma's lowest pressure?
920 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Jul 24, 1994, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Hurricane Gilma occur?
The archived track runs from Jul 21, 1994, 06:00 AM UTC to Jul 31, 1994, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Jul 21, 1994, 06:00 AM UTC to Jul 31, 1994, 12:00 AM UTC.
Where did Hurricane Gilma form?
In the Eastern Pacific basin, in the 1994 season. Its first archived position is 11°N, 121.9°W on Jul 21, 1994, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Hurricane Gilma make landfall?
No archived position places Hurricane Gilma's center over land, but positions are six-hourly and a brief landfall can fall between them.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology