List of off-season Pacific hurricanes
Encyclopedia
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Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
westward to 140°W
140th meridian west
The meridian 140° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
, while the Central Pacific is from 140°W to 180°W
180th meridian
The 180th meridian or antimeridian is the meridian which is 180° east or west of the Prime Meridian passing through the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. It is common to both east longitude and west longitude. It is used as the basis for the International Date Line because it for the most part passes...
, which is the International Dateline. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
currently defines the season as occurring between May 15 (June 1 for the Central Pacific) and November 30 each calender year, which is when 99% of all East Pacific tropical cyclones occur. In the off-season, storms are most likely to occur in December, with approximately 44% of such storms occurring during that month. Occasionally, however, storms develop in late November and persist until December, such as Hurricane Nina
Hurricane Nina (1957)
Hurricane Nina was the final tropical storm and hurricane of the 1957 Pacific hurricane season and the last storm to form during the active Central Pacific hurricane season this year. This storm was named "Nina" because during this time, hurricanes in this basin were given names from the typhoon...
of 1957.
Few off-season tropical cyclones in the East Pacific have had impact, and none of them have made landfall
Landfall (meteorology)
Landfall is the event of a tropical cyclone or a waterspout coming onto land after being over water. When a waterspout makes landfall it is reclassified as a tornado, which can then cause damage inland...
. Only Hurricane Nina caused both property damage and fatalities, while remaining just offshore of the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
. The strongest hurricane between December to May was Hurricane Ekeka in 1992, which reached winds of 115 miles per hour (185.1 km/h). However, after Tropical Storm Paka
Typhoon Paka
Typhoon Paka was the last tropical cyclone in the 1997 Pacific Ocean hurricane and typhoon season, and was among the strongest Pacific typhoons in the month of December. Paka, which is the Hawaiian name for Pat, developed on November 28 from a trough well to the southwest of Hawaii...
crossed the International Date Line
International Date Line
The International Date Line is a generally north-south imaginary line on the surface of the Earth, passing through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that designates the place where each calendar day begins...
, it intensified into a typhoon with winds equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. The most recent off-season storm was Tropical Storm Omeka in December 2010.
Background
The beginning of HURDATHURDAT
The North Atlantic hurricane database, or HURDAT, is the database for all tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, since 1851.-History:...
, the official east Pacific hurricane database, is 1949. Since then, ten storms have occurred between December 1 and May 14, or December 1 and June 1, the official bounds of hurricane season in the eastern and central north Pacific, respectively. The off-season represents about 1% of the storm recorded in the Pacific. In addition, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center
Central Pacific Hurricane Center
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center of the United States National Weather Service is the official body responsible for tracking and issuing tropical cyclone warnings, watches, advisories, discussions, and statements for the Central North Pacific Basin...
reports seven off-season storms during the period 1900–1952 with another off-season tropical cyclone occurring in 1823. There have been documents published in the Monthly Weather Review
Monthly Weather Review
The Monthly Weather Review is a scientific journal published by the American Meteorological Society.Topics covered by the journal include research related to analysis and prediction of observed and modeled circulations of the atmosphere, including technique development, data assimilation, model...
reporting additional off-season storms within 2000 mi (3,218.7 km) off the Mexican coastline, including one in December.
Chronology
The wind speeds listed are maximum one-minute average sustained windsMaximum sustained wind
The maximum sustained winds associated with a tropical cyclone are a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, they are found within the eyewall at a distance defined as the radius of maximum wind, or RMW. Unlike gusts, the value of these winds are...
, and the pressure is the minimum barometric pressure; tropical cyclones listed with N/A under pressure indicates there is no known estimated pressure. The category refers to the intensity on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale; TS stands for tropical storm
Tropical cyclone scales
Tropical systems are officially ranked on one of several tropical cyclone scales according to their maximum sustained winds and in what oceanic basin they are located...
, TD for tropical depression, and SS for subtropical cyclone
Subtropical cyclone
A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of a tropical and an extratropical cyclone. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were unclear whether they should be characterized as tropical or extratropical cyclones. They were officially recognized by the National...
.
Before 1949
| Storm | Season | Duration | Max. Winds | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed | 1832 | December 1832 | Unknown | |
| "Froc Cyclone" | 1902 | December 23, 1902 – January 2, 1903 | Unknown | |
| "Zikawei Cyclone" | 1904 | November 26 – December 4 | Unknown | |
| "Hurd Cyclone" | 1904 | December 23 – 30 | Unknown | |
| "Gauthier Cyclone" | 1906 | May 3 – 10 | Unknown | |
| Unnamed | 1922 | February | Unknown | |
| Unnamed | 1925 | December 22 – 26 | Unknown | |
| Unnamed | 1936 | December 4 | Unknown | |
After 1949
| Storm | Season | Duration | Max. Winds | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nina Hurricane Nina (1957) Hurricane Nina was the final tropical storm and hurricane of the 1957 Pacific hurricane season and the last storm to form during the active Central Pacific hurricane season this year. This storm was named "Nina" because during this time, hurricanes in this basin were given names from the typhoon... |
1957 1957 Pacific hurricane season The 1957 Pacific hurricane season was a moderately active year in which 13 tropical cyclones formed. The hurricane season ran through the summer and fall months which conventionally delimit the period during which most tropical cyclones form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The first tropical... |
November 29 – December 6 | 85 mph (140 km/h) | Caused $100,000 in damage and four fatalities in Hawaii | |
| Carmen | 1980 1980 Pacific hurricane season The 1980 Pacific hurricane season was an ongoing event in tropical cyclone meteorology. This season may be described through a series of negatives: no one was killed; no damage was inflicted; and no tropical cyclones made landfall... |
April 4 – 8 | 50 mph (80.5 km/h) | ||
| Winnie | 1983 1983 Pacific hurricane season The 1983 Pacific hurricane season officially started May 15, 1983 in the eastern Pacific, and June 1, 1983 in the central Pacific, and lasted until November 30, 1983. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.This... |
December 4 – 7 | 90 mph (144.8 km/h) | Strongest East Pacific tropical cyclone in the month of December | |
| Winona | 1989 1989 Pacific hurricane season -Tropical Storm Adolph:The first storm of the season developed out of a weak area of low pressure situated about 570 mi south-southwest of Acapulco, Mexico. Tracking towards the west, the circluation briefly dissipated on May 30, before redeveloping the following day into Tropical... |
January 9 - 15 | 45 mph (72.4 km/h) | ||
| Alma | 1990 1990 Pacific hurricane season The 1990 Pacific hurricane season is the fifth most active season on record. The 1990 season officially started on May 15 in the eastern Pacific, and on June 1 in the central Pacific, and lasted until November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical... |
May 12 – 20 | 85 mph (140 km/h) | ||
| Ekeka | 1992 1992 Pacific hurricane season The 1992 Pacific hurricane season was the most active Pacific hurricane season on record. The most notable storm was Hurricane Iniki, which caused billions of dollars of damage to the Hawaiian Islands. Hurricanes Lester, Virgil, Winifred, and Orlene also made landfall and killed several people, but... |
January 28 – February 3 | 115 mph (185.1 km/h) | Strongest off-season East Pacific tropical cyclone | |
| Hali | 1992 1992 Pacific hurricane season The 1992 Pacific hurricane season was the most active Pacific hurricane season on record. The most notable storm was Hurricane Iniki, which caused billions of dollars of damage to the Hawaiian Islands. Hurricanes Lester, Virgil, Winifred, and Orlene also made landfall and killed several people, but... |
March 28 – 30 | 50 mph (80.5 km/h) | ||
| #1 | 1996 1996 Pacific hurricane season The 1996 Pacific hurricane season was an event in tropical cyclone formation and the third least active Pacific hurricane season in recorded history, behind 1977 and 2010. It officially began May 15, 1996 in the eastern north Pacific and on June 1, 1996 in the central north Pacific. It ended on... |
May 13 – 16 | 50 mph (80.5 km/h) | Presumably caused two deaths after the ship Solar Wind was lost | |
| Paka Typhoon Paka Typhoon Paka was the last tropical cyclone in the 1997 Pacific Ocean hurricane and typhoon season, and was among the strongest Pacific typhoons in the month of December. Paka, which is the Hawaiian name for Pat, developed on November 28 from a trough well to the southwest of Hawaii... |
1997 1997 Pacific hurricane season The 1997 Pacific hurricane season was a very active hurricane season. With hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars in damage, this season was the costliest and one of the deadliest Pacific hurricane seasons. This was due to a strong El Niño... |
December 2 – 6 | 65 mph (104.6 km/h) | ||
| Omeka | 2010 2010 Pacific hurricane season The 2010 Pacific hurricane season was the least active Pacific hurricane season, in terms of the number of named storms and hurricanes, on record, due to a moderate La Niña, unlike the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which was one of the most active on record... |
December 20 – 21 | 50 mph (80.5 km/h) | Record latest formation of a tropical cyclone in the Eastern Pacific basin |
Impact and records
A handful of these off-season cyclones have had impact on land or on people. Hurricane Nina in 1957 prompted evacuations and caused $100,000 (1957 USD) in damage. The storm also killed four people and produced 35 feet (10.7 m) waves. Hurricane Winnie in 1983 caused minor rainfall in parts of Mexico. The unnamed tropical storm of 1996 killed two people when it sank a trimaran called the Solar Wind. After becoming a typhoon, Paka caused significant damage in the Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, and the Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
. Overall, Paka caused $580 million (1997 USD) in damage; enough to warrant retirement of the name "Paka". None of these impacting systems made landfall
Landfall (meteorology)
Landfall is the event of a tropical cyclone or a waterspout coming onto land after being over water. When a waterspout makes landfall it is reclassified as a tornado, which can then cause damage inland...
.
In the official East Pacific hurricane database, which dates back to 1949, the first storm to occur outside of the current season was Hurricane Nina in 1957. In the database, nine tropical cyclones have existed between December and May, most recently Tropical Storm Omeka in 2010. Tropical Storm Winona in 1989 was not listed in the database, despite forming south of Hawaii in January 1989. In addition, there were at least eight tropical cyclones before the start of the official database, all of which existed near Hawaii.
Storms were most likely to occur in December, followed by May. Only one cyclone was reported in the two months of March and April. Of all cyclones during the off-season, the "Froc Cyclone" lasted longest; though reliable records indicate that Hurricane Alma in 1990 had the longest duration. Additionally, the "Froc Cyclone" may have spanned two calendar years.
Of the off-season storms that affected land, Hawaii was the most impacted region. However, no off-season tropical cyclones in the East Pacific have made landfall.
The year with the most off-season storms was tied between 1904 and 1992, with a total of two tropical cyclones forming in the off-season. No Pacific hurricane season had both a pre-season and post-season storm.
Monthly statistics
| Month of formation | Number of recorded storms |
|---|---|
| January | 2 |
| February | 1 |
| March | 1 |
| April | 1 |
| May | 3 |
| December | 10 |
| Total | 18 |
| Source | Central Pacific Hurricane Center and Hurricane Research Division |