 Climate Monitoring / Climate of 2005 / East Pacific Hurricanes / Help
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The average seasonal activity in the Eastern Pacific Basin is 16 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes. In terms of the number of tropical storms, the season was near average in 2005, with 15 named systems, however, there were only 7 hurricanes and only 1 major hurricane (category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir Simpson Scale). Hurricane Kenneth - the only major hurricane of the season, reached windspeeds only 2 mph above the minimum windspeed to be designated a category 3 storm (113 kts). When NOAA's Accumulated Cyclone Energy Index (ACE) is used to calculate activity (see image to the right), the season is well below average, with many of the storms being weak and short-lived relative to average. |
 NOAA's ACE Index for 2005. Click for larger image |
| Summaries of each East Pacific storm, organized by month, are available below. |
October
No named storms formed during October in the eastern tropical Pacific. There have been only 3 other years in the historical record (1989, 1995, 1996) in which no named storms have formed during October. Hurricane Otis, which formed in September, continued into October and became extratropical on October 3rd. More details of Otis can be found in the September section.
September
Four hurricanes and two tropical storms formed in September in the eastern tropical Pacific, one of which impacted Mexico and the U.S. (Otis). The Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Index values are available for all eastern North Pacific storms in 2005.
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Hurricane Jova formed as a tropical storm on September 15th about 1300 miles west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas and tracked west over the next 2 days while strengthening to reach hurricane intensity. Becoming a major hurricane on the 19th, Jova was moving northwest towards Hawaii when it encountered cooler water and began slowly weakening. Jova weakened to a tropical storm on the 23rd and eventually dissipated on the 25th about 250 miles northeast of Honolulu, HI.
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 Image courtesy of Univ. of Wisconsin/CIMMS (Larger image)  larger image of Kenneth |
 larger image of Kenneth, Max and Lidia  Image courtesy of Univ. of Wisconsin/CIMMS (Larger image) |
Hurricane Max formed as a tropical storm about 575 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico on September 18th while absorbing the smaller circulation of Tropical Storm Lidia. Max strengthened into a hurricane on the 20th while moving to the northwest and then reached its peak intensity of 80 mph (70 kts) later the same day. Thereafter, rapid weakening occurred and Max dissipated into a tropical depression on the 22nd and a remnant low later that same day. |
August
Two tropical storms and two hurricanes formed in the Eastern North Pacific during August, only one of which impacted land. The Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Index values are available for all eastern North Pacific storms in 2005.|
Hurricane Fernanda developed into a tropical storm from a tropical depression on August 10th about 700 miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas. The storm moved west northwest as it strengthened, becoming a hurricane on the 11th. A peak intensity of 75 kts (86 mph) was reached on the 14th before Hurricane Fernanda moved over cooler waters and began weakening. Moving south-southwest, Fernanda dissipated on the 17th. Tropical Storm Greg formed on August 11th about 700 miles south of Cabo San Lucas. A peak intensity of 45 kts (50 mph) was reached the following day while the storm moved west-northwest. Greg weakened to a tropical depression on the 14th after northerly shear weakened the storm. |
 Image courtesy of Univ. of Wisconsin/CIMMS larger image of FERNANDA |
 Image courtesy of Univ. of Wisconsin/CIMMS larger image of HILARY |
Hurricane Hilary was the strongest storm in the eastern North Pacific in August 2005 and was the only one to affect land. On August 20th Hilary became a tropical storm about 200 miles south of Salina Cruz, Mexico. The storm moved west and then turned more to the north paralleling the Mexican coast approximately 250 miles offshore. Becoming a hurricane on the 21st, Hilary's wind field broadened bringing tropical storm force winds to the Mexican coast near Manzanillo. Hurricane Hilary reached a peak windspeed of 90kts (104 mph) on August 22nd as it moved away from the coast. Traveling over cooler waters to the west-northwest, the storm weakened to tropical storm strength on the 24th and then to a depression the following day. Tropical Storm Irwin formed on August 26th southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. A peak intensity of 45 kts (50 mph) was recorded later that day and Irwin slowly weakened on the 27th becoming a tropical depression on the 28th about 575 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. |
July
July was relatively inactive in the eastern tropical Pacific with only two tropical storms forming during the month, compared to an average of four. The Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Index also indicated extremely low activity for July.|
Tropical Storm Dora developed on July 4 about 45 miles west-southwest of Acapulco, Mexico. Maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph while Dora moved parallel to the Mexican coastline. Although Dora did not make landfall, heavy rain fell along the coast. Dora dissipated on the 6th. Tropical Storm Eugene formed on July 18th about 250 miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico. A peak intensity of around 70 mph was reached as Eugene moved parallel to the coast. By July 20th however, the storm was already weakening over cooler waters and became a remnant low about 115 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas late on the 20th. |
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June
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There were no hurricanes in June in the East Pacific, though two tropical storms formed during the month. Beatriz was a depression on June 21st about 275 miles south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. As the storm moved west-northwest away from the coast of Mexico, it strengthened become a tropical storm on the 22nd. Beatriz reached maximum sustained winds of 45 kts on the 23rd before weakening to a depression on the 24th due to increased wind shear and cooler sea-surface temperatures.
Calvin was a tropical depression on June 26th about 250 miles south of Acapulco. On the 27th, Calvin became a tropical storm and reached 45 kts, its peak intensity, the same day. Similar to Beatriz, wind shear weakened the storm and it became a depression on the 28th. |
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| Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) indices are available for Beatriz and Calvin |
May
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The eastern North Pacific hurricane season officially begins on May 15th, generally peaks in late August/early September and concludes around the end of November. One system was active in May in 2005, becoming a hurricane. On May 17th, Tropical Storm Adrian formed from a tropical wave that had crossed Central America, entering the eastern Pacific on the 15th. The storm had become a tropical depression earlier the same day and quickly strengthened to tropical storm force.
Unusually for the East Pacific, Adrian began to track north-northeastward with windspeeds further increasing to reach hurricane strength on the 19th about 120 miles southwest of El Salvador. Adrian abruptly weakened offshore before making landfall, though heavy rain led to flooding and mudslides in El Salvador. |
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Statistically, a hurricane occurs in the East Pacific in May approximately once every four years.Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) indices are available for Adrian.
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Questions?
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For all climate questions other than questions concerning this report, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services Division: Climate Services Division NOAA/National Climatic Data Center 151 Patton Avenue Asheville, NC 28801-5001 fax: 828-271-4876 phone: 828-271-4800 email: questions@ncdc.noaa.gov For further information on the historical climate perspective presented in this report, contact: David Levinson NOAA/National Climatic Data Center 151 Patton Avenue Asheville, NC 28801-5001 fax: 828-271-4328 email: David.Levinson@noaa.gov |
NCDC / Climate Monitoring / Climate of 2005 / hurricanes / Help
