The 2004 Pacific hurricane season officially started May 15 2004 in the eastern Pacific, and June 1 2004 in the central Pacific, and will last until November 30 2004. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
The scope of this article is confined to those storms monitored by the U.S. National Hurricane Center, which is all tropical cyclones in the northern hemisphere east of 140 degrees west longitude, and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Hawaii, which monitors tropical cyclones from 180W (the international date line) to 140W. Tropical depressions that form east of 140W have "-E" (Eastern) appended to the number, storms that form west of 140W have "-C" (Central) appended.
Only storms east of the dateline are called hurricanes; for storms west of the dateline, see 2004 Pacific typhoon season.
| Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
|
| Category | Wind speed | Storm surge
|
|
| mph
(km/h)
| ft
(m)
|
|
| 5 | >156
(>250) | >18 (>5.5)
|
| 4 | 131–155
(210–249) | 13–18
(4.0–5.5)
|
| 3 | 111–130
(178–209) | 9–12
(2.7–3.7)
|
| 2 | 96–110
(154–177) | 6–8
(1.8–2.4)
|
| 1 | 74–95
(119–153) | 4–5
(1.2–1.5)
|
|
Tropical
storm | 35–73
(56–117) | 0–3
(0–0.9)
|
| (edit) (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Template:Saffir-Simpson-US)
|
Pre-season forecasts
The National Hurricane Center predicted a slow year, with only a 10% chance of above-average storm activity in the eastern North Pacific. The pre-season forecast predicts 13 to 15 tropical storms, 6 to 8 hurricanes, and 2 to 4 becoming major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale).
Events
May
- May 21
- May 22
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Depression One-E is upgraded to Tropical Storm Agatha.
- May 23
- 8 pm PDT (0300 UTC May 24) - Tropical Storm Agatha is downgraded to a tropical depression.
- May 24
- 8 pm PDT (0300 UTC May 25) - Tropical Depression Agatha dissipates.
June
No named storms formed in June. The last time this happened was in 1969.
July
- July 2
- 9 am PDT (1600 UTC) - Tropical Depression Two-E forms.
- July 3
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Two-E loses tropical characteristics.
- July 5
- July 6
- 5 pm HST (0300 UTC July 7) - Tropical Depression One-C dissipates.
- July 12
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Depression Three-E forms south of Mexico.
- 8 pm PDT (0300 UTC July 13) - Tropical Depression Three-E is upgraded to Tropical Storm Blas
- July 14
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Storm Blas is downgraded to a tropical depression.
- 8 pm PDT (0300 UTC July 15) - Tropical Depression Blas begins dissipating.
- July 18
- 8 pm PDT (0300 UTC July 19) - Tropical Depression Four-E forms 600 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.
- July 19
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Four-E is upgraded to Tropical Storm Celia.
- July 21
- 8 pm PDT (0300 UTC July 22) - Tropical Storm Celia becomes Hurricane Celia.
- July 22
- 11 am PDT (1800 UTC) - Hurricane Celia is downgraded to a tropical storm.
- July 24
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Storm Celia is downgraded to a tropical depression.
- July 25
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Celia dissipates into a remnant low.
- July 26
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Five-E forms south of Cabo San Lucas.
- 8 pm PDT (0300 UTC July 27) - Tropical Depression Five-E is upgraded to Tropical Storm Darby.
- July 28
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Storm Darby becomes Hurricane Darby.
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Hurricane Darby reaches Category 2 intensity.
- July 29
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Hurricane Darby reaches Category 3 intensity, the first major Pacific hurricane since 2002.
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Depression Six-E forms about 425 nautical miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.
- 8 pm PDT (0300 UTC July 30) - Advisories on Tropical Depression Six-E are discontinued.
- July 30
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Hurricane Darby is downgraded to a tropical storm.
- July 31
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Storm Darby weakens to a tropical depression.
- 11 pm PDT (0900 UTC Aug. 1) - Tropical Depression Darby dissipates.
August
- August 1
- August 3
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Six-E dissipates again.
- August 19
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Depression Seven-E forms 1,395 nautical miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.
- August 20
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Depression Seven-E is upgraded to Tropical Storm Estelle.
- 8 pm PDT (0300 UTC Aug. 21) - Tropical Storm Estelle crosses 140W.
- August 23
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Depression Eight-E forms from the remains of Tropical Storm Earl, which crossed over from the Atlantic basin.
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Depression Eight-E forms into Tropical Storm Frank, one of the few times a storm has survived crossing from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Storm Frank is upgraded to Hurricane Frank
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Nine-E forms about 845 nautical miles west-southwest of the tip of Baja California.
- August 25
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Hurricane Frank is downgraded to a tropical storm.
- 8 pm PDT (0300 UTC Aug. 26) - Tropical Storm Frank weakens to a tropical depression.
- August 26
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Depression Frank dissipates.
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Depression Nine-E dissipates.
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Depression Ten-E forms about 305 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico.
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Ten-E is upgraded to Tropical Storm Georgette.
- August 30
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Storm Georgette weakens to a tropical depression.
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Depression Georgette degenerates into a remnant low.
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Eleven-E forms southwest of Acapulco.
- August 31
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Depression Eleven-E is upgraded to Tropical Storm Howard.
September
- September 1
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Storm Howard is upgraded to Hurricane Howard.
- September 2
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Hurricane Howard jumps to Category 3 intensity.
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Hurricane Howard reaches Category 4 intensity.
- September 4
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Hurricane Howard weakens to a tropical storm.
- September 5
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Storm Howard weakens to a tropical depression.
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Depression Howard dissipates.
- September 8
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Depression Twelve-E forms.
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Twelve-E is upgraded to Tropical Storm Isis.
- September 10
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Storm Isis weakens to a tropical depression.
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Thirteen-E forms south-southeast of the Gulf of Tehuantepec.
- September 11
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Depression Thirteen-E is upgraded to Tropical Storm Javier.
- 8 pm PDT (0300 UTC Sept. 12) - Tropical Depression Isis restrengthens into a tropical storm.
- September 12
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Storm Javier strengthens into Hurricane Javier.
- September 13
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Hurricane Javier reaches Category 2 strength.
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Hurricane Javier reaches Category 3 strength.
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - ... and Hurricane Javier reaches Category 4 strength.
- September 15
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Storm Isis is upgraded to Hurricane Isis...
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - ... and is downgraded back to a tropical storm when the eye collapses.
- September 16
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Storm Isis weakens to a tropical depression.
- September 17
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Depression Isis loses tropical characteristics.
- September 18
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Hurricane Javier is downgraded to a tropical storm.
- 8 pm PDT (0300 UTC Sept. 19) - Tropical Storm Javier weakens to a tropical depression.
- September 19
October
- October 4
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Fourteen-E forms south of Cabo San Lucas.
- October 5
- 8 am PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Depression Fourteen-E becomes Tropical Storm Kay...
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - ... and weakens back to a depression.
- October 6
- 8 am PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Kay begins dissipating into a remnant low.
- October 11
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Fifteen-E forms 90 miles south-southwest of Puerto Angel, Mexico.
- October 12
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Depression Fifteen-E strengthens into Tropical Storm Lester.
- October 13
- 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Storm Lester is downgraded to a tropical depression and rapidly dissipates.
- October 25
- 3 pm PDT (2200 UTC) - Tropical Depression Sixteen-E forms 100 miles south-southwest of Altata, Mexico.
- October 26
- 2 am PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Depression Sixteen-E dissipates 35 miles west of Altata, Mexico.
Storms
Most eastern North Pacific storms never come close to striking land. Only ones that did are mentioned here.
Hurricane Darby
Tropical Depression Five-E formed south of Mexico on July 26. Later that day, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Darby, and only four hours later, at 2 am (0900 UTC) on July 27, is upgraded to Hurricane Darby. It moved due west at this point, aiming directly for the big island of Hawaii. It reached Category 3 strength on July 29, the first major hurricane in the northeastern Pacific basin since 2002. However, long before it reached Hawaii, it lost strength and dissipated on the evening of July 31.
Hurricane Howard
Tropical Depression Eleven_E formed from a tropical wave about 400 mi. southwest of Acapulco, Mexico and headed northwest, steadily strengthening as it did so. Howard peaked briefly as a Category 4 and then started to weaken. By the time Howard reached a point off the coast of the Baja peninsula, he was only a tropical storm. Howard weakened further, becoming a tropical depression on September 5 and degenerated into a remnant low later that day. The low hooked around and headed southwest. Howard dissipated on September 10 without making landfall.
Hurricane Javier
Tropical Depression Thirteen-E formed out of an area of low pressure south-southeast of the Gulf of Tehuantepec on September 10. It slowly moved northwest, being designated Tropical Storm Javier on the morning of September 11. It was upgraded to a hurricane on the afternoon of September 12, and peaked at Category 4 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale after rapidly strengthening on September 13.
Warnings began to be issued on September 15 for Baja California. While Javier peaked at Category 4, with windspeeds of 150 mph (240 km/h), it weakened dramatically before striking land south of San Ignacio in Baja Sur as only a tropical depression. Its remnants continued over Baja and inland.
Tropical Storm Lester
An area of tropical disturbance centered about 90 miles (150 km) south-southwest of Puerto Angel, Mexico, developed into Tropical Depression Fifteen-E on the afternoon of October 11. Due to its proximity, attention was immediately paid to it, and Mexico began issuing watches early the next day. With the 2 pm PDT (2100 UTC) update on October 12, it was upgraded to a tropical storm and named Lester.
It sat mainly stationary just off the coast of Mexico, spending most of October 13 only 25 miles (40 km) west of Acapulco. In the afternoon, it became clear that Lester was falling apart, and with the 2 pm update, even though it was still close to shore, it was downgraded to a tropical depression and advisories ended as it rapidly disintegrated.
2004 hurricane names
The following names were used for named storms that form in the north Pacific in 2004. No names are likely to be retired by the WMO, therefore, this list will be used again in 2010. Names that have not yet been assigned are marked in gray.
- Agatha
- Blas
- Celia
- Darby
- Estelle
- Frank
- Georgette
- Howard
|
- Isis
- Javier
- Kay
- Lester
-
Madeline (unused)
-
Newton (unused)
-
Orlene (unused)
-
Paine (unused)
|
-
Roslyn (unused)
-
Seymour (unused)
-
Tina (unused)
-
Virgil (unused)
-
Winifred (unused)
-
Xavier (unused)
-
Yolanda (unused)
-
Zeke (unused)
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External links
