Tropical Storm Gilda weakened slightly over Cuba, crossing the island in less than twelve hours before emerging into the Atlantic Ocean early on October 19. At the time, the anticyclone over Jamaica which previously assisted the cyclone instead remained over the Caribbean, which increased shear over the storm. This caused the convection to gradually separate from the low-level circulation. Early on October 20, Gilda passed just southeast of Andros Island in the Bahamas, around the same time that the Hurricane Hunters recorded an atmospheric pressure of 994 mbar; this was the lowest recorded pressure in association with Gilda while it was a tropical cyclone. It gradually weakened due to the wind shear, resulting in the low-level steering currents becoming dominant. After moving through the Exuma island chain, the storm passed near or over Eleuthera, and late on October 21 Gilda became nearly stationary about 60 mi (95 km/h) east of Harbour Island. Late on October 22, after moving only about 6 mi (10 km) in a 24‑hour period, Gilda weakened to a tropical depression.