&sq=&lang=&file=File:Linda_1997-09-12_1700Z.jpg) Linda at peak intensity to the south of Baja California on September 12 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 9, 1997 |
| Remnant low | September 17, 1997 |
| Dissipated | September 21, 1997 |
| Category 5 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 185 mph (295 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 902 mbar (hPa); 26.64 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | None |
| Damage | $3.2 million (1997 USD) |
| Areas affected | Socorro Island, Southwestern Mexico, Southern California |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1997 Pacific hurricane season | |
Hurricane Linda was an extremely powerful tropical cyclone that was, at the time, the most intense eastern Pacific hurricane on record, until it was surpassed 18 years later by Patricia. Forming from a tropical wave on September 9, 1997, Linda steadily intensified and reached hurricane status within 36 hours of developing. The storm rapidly intensified, reaching sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) and an estimated central pressure of 902 millibars (26.6 inHg); both were records for the eastern Pacific until Hurricane Patricia surpassed them in 2015. The hurricane was briefly forecast to move toward southern California, but instead, it turned out to sea and lost its status as a tropical cyclone on September 17, before dissipating on September 21. Linda was the fifteenth tropical cyclone, thirteenth named storm, seventh hurricane, and fifth major hurricane of the 1997 Pacific hurricane season. Linda was also the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 1997.
While near peak intensity, Hurricane Linda passed near Socorro Island, where it damaged meteorological instruments. The hurricane produced high waves along the southwestern Mexican coastline, forcing the closure of five ports. If Linda had made landfall on southern California as predicted, it would have been the strongest storm to do so since a storm in 1939. Though it did not hit the state, the hurricane produced light to moderate rainfall across the region, causing mudslides and flooding in the San Gorgonio Wilderness; two houses were destroyed and 77 others were damaged, and damage totaled US$3.2 million.