1979 Pacific hurricane season

1979 Pacific hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formedMay 31, 1979
Last system dissipatedNovember 18, 1979
Strongest storm
NameIgnacio
 • Maximum winds145 mph (230 km/h)
(1-minute sustained)
 • Lowest pressure938 mbar (hPa; 27.7 inHg)
Seasonal statistics
Total storms10
Hurricanes6
Major hurricanes
(Cat. 3+)
4
Total fatalities2
Total damageNone
Related articles
Pacific hurricane seasons
1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981

The 1979 Pacific hurricane season was an inactive North Pacific hurricane season, featuring 10 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes.[nb 1] All tropical cyclone activity this season was confined to the Eastern Pacific, east of 140°W. For the first time since 1977, no tropical cyclones formed in, or entered into the Central Pacific, between 140°W and the International Date Line.[2]

The season officially started on May 15, 1979 in the Eastern Pacific and on June 1 in the Central Pacific; they both ended on November 30, 1979. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in these basins.[3] The season's first storm, Andres, developed on May 31, while its last, Jimena, dissipated on November 18. In early June, Andres moved onshore Mexico as a minimal hurricane, while in late October, Ignacio struck the coastline as a tropical depression. Impacts from those storms were minimal, as were the effects of the preponderance of systems during the season. No casualties or damage were reported onshore, but two fishermen drowned offshore.[4]

  1. ^ "The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale" (PDF). Miami Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  2. ^ Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Cyclones 1979 (PDF) (Report). Honolulu Hawaii: Central Pacific Hurricane Center. 1981. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  3. ^ "Hurricanes: Frequently Asked Questions". Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  4. ^ Emil B. Gunther (1980). "Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclones of 1979". Monthly Weather Review. 108 (5). Eastern Pacific Hurricane Center: 631–641. Bibcode:1980MWRv..108..631G. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1980)108<0631:ENPTCO>2.0.CO;2.


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