Timeline of the 1993 Pacific hurricane season

Timeline of the
1993 Pacific hurricane season
A map of all tropical cyclones during the 1993 Pacific hurricane season
Season summary map
Season boundaries
First system formedJune 11, 1993
Last system dissipatedOctober 14, 1993
Strongest system
NameLidia
Maximum winds240 km/h (150 mph)
(1-minute sustained)
Lowest pressure930 hPa (mbar)
Longest lasting system
NameGreg
Duration14.00 days
Storm articles
Other years
1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995

The 1993 Pacific hurricane season was an event in the annual formation of tropical cyclones over the Pacific Ocean north of the Equator and east of the International Date Line. The season officially began on May 15 in the Eastern Pacific proper (east of 140°W) and June 1 in the Central Pacific (140°W to the International Date Line), and ended on November 30. These dates conventionally delineate the period each year during which tropical cyclones tend to form in the basin according to the National Hurricane Center.[1] A total of eighteen tropical depressions formed; fifteen of these developed into named tropical storms, of which eleven became hurricanes and nine became major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir–Simpson scale).[2] The number of tropical storms was near the long-term average; the number of hurricanes was slightly above average, and the number of major hurricanes was more than double the average of four.[1][3] As with many active Pacific hurricane seasons, El Niño conditions greatly influenced this season's high activity levels.[4] Several long-lived and powerful hurricanes contributed to an overall Accumulated Cyclone Energy value of 201.8 units, the eighth-highest on record for a Pacific hurricane season as of February 2024.[nb 1][6] The first system, Hurricane Adrian, developed on June 11; the final system, Tropical Depression Seventeen-E, dissipated on October 14.

The most impactful storm of the season was Hurricane Calvin, which made landfall near Manzanillo in the Mexican state of Colima as a Category 2 hurricane; it killed more than 30 people,[nb 2] mainly due to significant flooding, and damages amounted to $32 million (1993 USD).[10] Two months later, Hurricane Lidia came ashore at a similar intensity farther to the northwest along the coast of Sinaloa, where it caused considerable damage and multiple fatalities.[nb 3][3] In conjunction with a cold front, Lidia's remnants generated severe weather in Texas, including a tornado that caused $8 million (1993 USD) in damage.[12] Earlier in the season, Tropical Storm Beatriz killed 6 people in Mexico when it struck the southern portion of the country,[3] while Tropical Depression Three-E produced heavy rainfall that amounted to nearly a foot (12 in; 30.48 cm) in Acapulco despite remaining offshore.[13] Hurricane Hilary made three landfalls in Mexico – twice on the Baja California peninsula as a tropical storm, and then on the Mexican mainland as a tropical depression – but caused no loss of life and little damage.[14] Hurricanes Dora, Eugene, and Fernanda produced minor impacts in Hawaii; Eugene made landfall on the Big Island as a tropical depression, while Fernanda prompted the issuance of a hurricane warning, though this was discontinued when the storm turned away.[15]

Four time zones are utilized in the Eastern Pacific basin. They are, from east to west: Central east of 106°W; Mountain from 106°W to 114.9°W; Pacific from 115°W to 139.9°W; and Hawaii−Aleutian from 140°W to the International Date Line. For convenience, each event is listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) first, using the 24-hour clock (where 00:00 = midnight UTC),[16] with the respective local time included in parentheses. Figures for maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest five units (knots, miles, or kilometers) and averaged over one minute, following National Hurricane Center practice. Direct wind observations are rounded to the nearest whole number. Atmospheric pressures are listed to the nearest millibar and nearest hundredth of an inch of mercury. This timeline documents the formation of tropical cyclones as well as the strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, and dissipations during the season. It includes information that was not released while the storm was active, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center is included.

  1. ^ a b "Tropical Cyclone Climatology". Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  2. ^ 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 c d Avila, Lixion A.; Mayfield, Britt M. (March 1, 1995). "Eastern North Pacific Hurricane Season of 1993". Monthly Weather Review. 123 (3). American Meteorological Society: 1393–1410. Bibcode:1995MWRv..123..897A. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1995)123<0897:ENPHSO>2.0.CO;2.
  4. ^ Jan Tenbruggencate (August 22, 1993). "Weird weather in the Pacific due to El Nino". The Honolulu Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaii. p. 6. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Background information: Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season". United States Climate Prediction Center. May 22, 2019. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  6. ^ "Basin Archives: Northeast Pacific Ocean Historical Tropical Cyclone Statistics". Fort Collins, Colorado: Colorado State University. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  7. ^ Rappaport, Edward (August 2, 1993). Hurricane Calvin Preliminary Report (Page Three) (GIF) (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  8. ^ Kareem, Abdul (July 6, 2018). "July 7, 1993: Hurricane Calvin kills 37 in Mexico". Gulf News. Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  9. ^ Darling, Juanita (July 9, 1993). "Death Toll 37 in Mexico as Storm Heads Out to Sea : Disaster: About a third of nation is under state of emergency. Officials report 42,000 homeless". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  10. ^ Rappaport, Edward (August 2, 1993). Hurricane Calvin Preliminary Report (Page Four) (GIF) (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  11. ^ "Storm kills 7, forces evacuations". Oxnard Press-Courier. Associated Press. September 18, 1993. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  12. ^ "Texas reeling from series of tornadoes". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. September 14, 1993. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  13. ^ Pasch, Richard J. (November 18, 1993). Tropical Depression Three-E Preliminary Report (Page One) (GIF) (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  14. ^ Rappaport, Edward (September 27, 1993). Hurricane Hilary Preliminary Report (Page Three) (GIF) (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  15. ^ Tropical Cyclones 1993 (PDF) (Report). Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  16. ^ "Understanding the Date/Time Stamps". Silver Spring, Maryland: National Weather Service. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2024.


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