2009 Eastern Pacific hurricane season
Hurricane Rick 2009
Rick reached extreme strength south of Mexico, then weakened sharply before turning toward the coast. It arrived near Mazatlan as a tropical storm rather than a major hurricane.
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178 mph
Oct 18, 2009 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A rapid climb to Category 5
Rick developed off southern Mexico on October 15 and became a hurricane within a day. A forming eye marked another burst of strengthening, and the storm reached Category 5 on October 17. The archive records peak sustained winds of 155 knots and a pressure of 906 millibars early on October 18.
Weakening before the northeast turn
An eyewall replacement cycle and increasing wind shear weakened Rick after its peak. It fell to Category 3 by October 19 and to tropical-storm strength the following day. The storm slowed briefly as it began turning northeastward toward Mexico.
On October 21, Rick brushed the southern tip of Baja California before making landfall near Mazatlan. It weakened rapidly inland and dissipated later that day. Evacuations and hurricane watches had preceded the approach, but warnings were reduced as the cyclone lost strength. Three storm deaths were reported in Mexico, one in Oaxaca and two in Baja California Sur.
Further reading
NOAA IBTrACS v04r01 historical track archive
Wikipedia, Hurricane Rick (2009)
Official report (PDF) — National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report.
QUICK ANSWERS
Rick in brief
What was Hurricane Rick's highest wind speed?
178 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 18, 2009, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Hurricane Rick?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 17, 2009, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane Rick's lowest pressure?
906 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 18, 2009, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Hurricane Rick occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 14, 2009, 12:00 PM UTC to Oct 21, 2009, 08:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 15, 2009, 06:00 PM UTC to Oct 21, 2009, 08:00 PM UTC.
Where did Hurricane Rick form?
In the Eastern Pacific basin, in the 2009 season. Its first archived position is 7.2°N, 92.8°W on Oct 14, 2009, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Hurricane Rick make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 52 mph on Oct 21, 2009, 03:00 PM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology