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2018 Pacific hurricane season

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2018 Pacific hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formedMay 10, 2018
Last system dissipatedSeason ongoing
Strongest storm
NameAletta
 • Maximum winds140 mph (220 km/h)
(1-minute sustained)
 • Lowest pressure943 mbar (hPa; 27.85 inHg)
Seasonal statistics
Total depressions2
Total storms1
Hurricanes1
Major hurricanes
(Cat. 3+)		1
Total fatalitiesNone
Total damageNone
Related articles
Pacific hurricane seasons
2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

The 2018 Pacific hurricane season is an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The season officially started on May 15 in the eastern Pacific and on June 1 in the central Pacific; they will both end on November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Pacific basin. However, the formation of tropical cyclones is possible at any time of the year, as illustrated when the first tropical depression formed on May 10. The first named storm of the season, Hurricane Aletta, formed on June 6.

Seasonal forecasts

Record Named
storms 		Hurricanes Major
hurricanes 		Ref
Average (1981-2010): 15.4 7.6 3.2 [1]
Record high activity: 1992: 27 2015: 16 2015: 11 [2]
Record low activity: 2010: 8 2010: 3 2003: 0 [2]
Date Source Named
storms 		Hurricanes Major
hurricanes 		Ref
May 24, 2018 NOAA 14–20 7–12 3–7 [3]
May 25, 2018 SMN 18 6 4 [4]
Area Named
storms		 Hurricanes Major
hurricanes		 Ref
Actual activity: EPAC 1 1 1
Actual activity: CPAC 0 0 0
Actual activity: 1 1 1

On May 24, 2018, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its annual forecast, predicting a 80% chance of a near- to above-average season in both the Eastern and Central Pacific basins, with a total of 14–20 named storms, 7–12 hurricanes, and 3–7 major hurricanes.[3] On May 25, the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) issued its first forecast for the season, predicting a total of 18 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes to develop.[4]

Seasonal summary

Main article: Timeline of the 2018 Pacific hurricane season
Saffir–Simpson scale

The Accumulated Cyclone Energy index for the 2018 Pacific hurricane season, as of 09:00 UTC June 9, is 9.3075 units.[nb 1]

The season began five days before the official start on May 15, with the first system, Tropical Depression One-E, forming on May 10. One-E dissipated two days later without intensifying further. This marks the third time in a row that a season begins with an off-season tropical cyclone. The first named storm, Hurricane Aletta, formed on June 6, and eventually became the first major hurricane of the season.

In the Central Pacific, the Pacific hurricane season officially began on June 1. The season for the entire Northeast Pacific basin will officially end on November 30.

Systems

Tropical Depression One-E

Tropical depression (SSHWS)
 
DurationMay 10 – May 12
Peak intensity35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min);
1006 mbar (hPa)
See also: List of off-season Pacific hurricanes

In early May, a westward-tracking trough or tropical wave embedded in the monsoon trough interacted with a convectively-coupled kelvin wave. This interaction led to a large area of shower and thunderstorm activity well southwest of Mexico,[5] which the National Hurricane Center began monitoring for tropical cyclone formation on May 7.[6] The disturbance organized over the next 48 hours but lacked a well-defined center needed for classification;[7] by late on May 9, environmental conditions were becoming less favorable for development.[8] In spite of this, an increase in convection and formation of a well-defined circulation led to the designation of the season's first tropical depression at 21:00 UTC on May 10.[9] The system failed to intensify after formation and, owing to strong westerly wind shear, ultimately degenerated into a remnant low by 03:00 UTC on May 12.[10]

Hurricane Aletta

Hurricane Aletta
Current storm status
Category 1 hurricane (1-min mean)
Satellite image
Forecast map
As of:3:00 a.m. MDT (09:00 UTC) June 9
Location:16°12′N 112°42′W / 16.2°N 112.7°W / 16.2; -112.7 (Hurricane Aletta) ± 15 nm
About 495 miles (800 km) SSW of Baja California
About 210 mi (340 km) SSW of Socorro Island
Sustained winds:70 kt (110 mph; 175 km/h) (1-min mean)
gusting to 115 kt (130 mph; 215 km/h)
Pressure:980 mbar (hPa; 28,93 inHg)
Movement:WNW at 5 kn (6 mph; 9 km/h)
See more detailed information.

On May 31, the NHC noted the potential for tropical development well south of Mexico over subsequent days.[11] A large area of disturbed weather formed late on June 2,[12] steadily organizing into the season's second tropical depression by 03:00 UTC on June 6 as a prominent spiral band wrapped into its center.[13] An increase in deep convection signified its development into Tropical Storm Aletta six hours later.[14] The newly-formed cyclone moved generally west-northwest after formation, slow to intensify as dry air intrusion and moderate southwesterly shear affected its cloud pattern.[15] By June 7, however, the center became better located within deep convection and an eye appeared, leading to the season's first hurricane at 21:00 UTC.[16][17] Storm structure continued to improve into the morning hours of June 8, and Aletta began a period of explosive intensification that brought it to a Category 4 hurricane by 15:00 UTC, with Aletta's winds doubling from 70 mph (110 km/h) to 140 mph (220 km/h) over a span of 24 hours.[18]

Current storm information

As of 3:00 a.m. MDT (09:00 UTC) June 9, Hurricane Aletta is located within 15 nautical miles of 16°12′N 112°42′W / 16.2°N 112.7°W / 16.2; -112.7 (Aletta), about 495 miles (800 km) south-southwest of Baja California, or about 210 miles (340 km) south-southwest of Socorro Island. Maximum sustained winds are 95 knots (110 mph; 175 km/h), with gusts up to 115 knots (130 mph; 215 km/h). The minimum barometric pressure is 967 mbar (hPa; 28.53 inHg), and the system is moving west-northwest at 5 knots (6 mph; 9 km/h). Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles (150 km).

For latest official information, see:

Storm names

The following names will be used for named storms that form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean during 2018. Retired names, if any, will be announced by the World Meteorological Organization in the spring of 2019. The names not retired from this list will be used again in the 2024 season.[19] This is the same list used in the 2012 season.

  • Aletta (active)
  • Bud (unused)
  • Carlotta (unused)
  • Daniel (unused)
  • Emilia (unused)
  • Fabio (unused)
  • Gilma (unused)
  • Hector (unused)
  • Ileana (unused)
  • John (unused)
  • Kristy (unused)
  • Lane (unused)
  • Miriam (unused)
  • Norman (unused)
  • Olivia (unused)
  • Paul (unused)
  • Rosa (unused)
  • Sergio (unused)
  • Tara (unused)
  • Vicente (unused)
  • Willa (unused)
  • Xavier (unused)
  • Yolanda (unused)
  • Zeke (unused)

For storms that form in the Central Pacific Hurricane Center's area of responsibility, encompassing the area between 140 degrees west and the International Date Line, all names are used in a series of four rotating lists.[20] The next four names that will be slated for use in 2018 are shown below.

  • Walaka (unused)
  • Akoni (unused)
  • Ema (unused)
  • Hone (unused)

Season effects

This is a table of all the storms that have formed in the 2018 Pacific hurricane season. It includes their duration, names, landfall(s), denoted in parentheses, damages, and death totals. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but were still related to that storm. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a tropical wave, or a low, and all the damage figures are in 2018 USD.

Saffir–Simpson scale
TD TS C1 C2 C3 C4 C5
2018 Pacific hurricane season statistics
Storm
name 		Dates active Storm category
at peak intensity 		Max 1-min
wind
mph (km/h) 		Min.
press.
(mbar) 		Areas affected Damage
(USD) 		Deaths Ref(s)
One-E May 10 – 12 Tropical depression 35 (55) 1006 None None None
Aletta June 6 – Present Category 4 hurricane 140 (220) 943 None None None
Season aggregates
2 systems May 10 – present   140 (220) 943 None None  

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The totals represent the sum of the squares for every (sub)tropical storm's intensity of over 33 knots (38 mph, 61 km/h), divided by 10,000. Calculations are provided at Talk:2018 Pacific hurricane season/ACE calcs.

References

  1. ^ "Background Information: East Pacific Hurricane Season". Climate Prediction Center. College Park, Maryland: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 22, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  2. ^ a b National Hurricane Center; Hurricane Research Division; Central Pacific Hurricane Center (April 26, 2024). "The Northeast and North Central Pacific hurricane database 1949–2023". United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. A guide on how to read the database is available here. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ a b "Forecasters predict a near- or above-normal 2018 hurricane season". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 24, 2018.
  4. ^ a b http://smn.cna.gob.mx/es/ciclones-tropicales/temporada-de-ciclones-2018
  5. ^ Forecaster AL (May 6, 2018). Tropical Weather Discussion valid 1416 UTC Sun May 6 2018 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  6. ^ Lixion A. Avila (May 7, 2018). Special Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  7. ^ Stacy R. Stewart (May 9, 2018). Special Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  8. ^ John L. Beven II (May 9, 2018). Special Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  9. ^ Lixion A. Avila (May 10, 2018). Tropical Depression One-E Discussion Number 1 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  10. ^ John L. Beven II (May 11, 2018). Post-Tropical Cyclone One-E Discussion Number 6 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  11. ^ Eric S. Blake (May 31, 2018). Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  12. ^ Eric S. Blake (June 2, 2018). Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  13. ^ Robbie J. Berg (June 5, 2018). Tropical Depression Two-E Discussion Number 1 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  14. ^ Lixion A. Avila (June 6, 2018). Tropical Storm Aletta Discussion Number 2 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  15. ^ Robbie J. Berg (June 6, 2018). Tropical Storm Aletta Discussion Number 5 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  16. ^ Lixion A. Avila (June 6, 2018). Tropical Storm Aletta Discussion Number 6 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  17. ^ Richard J. Pasch (June 6, 2018). Hurricane Aletta Discussion Number 8 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  18. ^ David P. Zelinsky (June 8, 2018). Hurricane Aletta Discussion Number 12 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  19. ^ "Tropical Cyclone Names". National Hurricane Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2013-04-11. Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  20. ^ "Pacific Tropical Cyclone Names 2016-2021". Central Pacific Hurricane Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 12, 2016. Archived from the original (PHP) on December 30, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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