UTC the following day as an eye became apparent on satellite. Continuing westward and crossing into the central Pacific basin, the system began a period of rapid intensification that brought it to its peak intensity with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 949 mb (hPa; 28.03 inHg) at 0000 UTC on September 12, while positioned roughly 980 mi (1575 km) east-southeast of the Big Island. Increased wind shear the next day caused Flossie to begin a slow weakening trend thereafter; at 1200 UTC on September 14, the system weakened to a Category 2 hurricane, and by 0600 UTC on September 15, the cyclone was barely a Category 1 hurricane. Six hours later, it weakened to a tropical storm as the low-level center became exposed on satellite. Flossie weakened to a tropical depression early on September 16 and dissipated by 1800 UTC. In preparation for the cyclone, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for the Big Island. A tropical storm warning was subsequently issued for the same location, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sent 20 transportation, public works, and health experts to the region. Many schools were closed, including the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii Community College; as a result, an estimated 26,000 college students were sent home. As a weakening cyclone, Flossie produced light precipitation on the island of Hawaii. Large waves impacted south-facing beaches while the maximum sustained wind observed reached 39 mph (63 km/h) at South Point. No fatalities were reported. Tropical Storm Gil A vigorous tropical wave emerged off the western coast of Africa on August 16. Characterized with abundant deep convection, the wave remained organization until it interacted with an upper-level trough across the eastern Caribbean Sea a few days later. On August 26, the wave split in two, with the northern portion leading the formation of a weak low in the Bay of Campeche and the southern portion continuing westward into the eastern Pacific. After the formation of deep convection over the center and associated convective bands, the disturbance was upgraded to a tropical depression at 1200 UTC on August 29. Though the circulation remained positioned on the northeast side of most thunderstorm activity, satellite intensity estimates supported tropical storm strength and it was upgraded to such accordingly. At 1200 UTC on August 30, Gil attained its peak intensity with winds of 45