The origins of Hilda can be definitively traced back to a tropical wave that trekked across the western Caribbean Sea during the last week of September. However, a loosely defined mass of clouds east of the Lesser Antilles on September 23 was potentially associated with the formation of Hilda. Tracking westward, the area of convection gradually intensified, with hints at a well-defined circulation as the system tracked over Haiti on September 27. By 1200 UTC on September 28, the disturbance had become sufficiently defined to be classified as a tropical depression south of Cuba. Tracking generally westward, the depression crossed Cape San Antonio, Cuba on September 29, intensifying to tropical storm strength in the meanwhile before moving into the northern Yucatán Channel. Favorable conditions for tropical cyclone development in the western Caribbean, including the presence of abnormally high sea surface temperatures, allowed for the further strengthening of Hilda.