1984 Pacific hurricane season

A busy year despite La Niña

The current best track's count of 21 named storms, 13 hurricanes and 7 major hurricanes matches the site's archive, and both give accumulated cyclone energy of 193.7. La Niña years usually bring fewer storms, but 1984 ranks second for storm count among them, helped by average sea surface temperatures across the eastern Pacific. Activity ran from 17 May to 8 November. Three storms formed west of 140°W: Keli, Lala and Moke.

Tropical Storm Alma opened the year on 17 May, and Hurricane Boris became the first hurricane on 30 May before looping for days as a depression and lasting until 18 June. Hurricane Cristina, which formed on 17 June from a cold-core low that drifted across the southern Gulf of Mexico, peaked at 90 kt and tracked in a stair-step pattern off Mexico.

Douglas leads a midsummer run of hurricanes

Between late June and mid-July the basin produced a string of strong hurricanes. Douglas formed east of Clipperton Island on 25 June, and in the 24 hours to 00 UTC on 29 June its winds rose from 85 to 145 mph; the archive places its 125 kt peak that day, the season's highest. Elida followed with a 115 kt peak on 1 July, then lost its steering and drifted back east between Fausto and Genevieve. Fausto reached 95 kt on 6 July, and Genevieve peaked at 100 kt on 10 July.

Genevieve weakened over colder water and came ashore about 90 miles northwest of Cabo San Lucas on 14 July with winds of only 35 mph, far below its peak. Douglas dissipated in the central Pacific on 6 July, and its remnants crossed Maui and the Big Island on 8 and 9 July with up to 2 inches of rain on slopes parched by drought. Tropical Storm Hernan ended the run in late July.

August storms from Johnston Atoll to California's beaches

Hurricane Iselle formed in the Gulf of Tehuantepec on 3 August and peaked at 115 kt on 8 August west of Mexico. Its swell raised 13-foot waves in Orange County, where lifeguards made 385 rescues at Newport Beach alone. Moisture from Iselle fed storms in western Texas, and a girl died when a flood swept through her home in a normally dry creekbed.

In the central Pacific, Hurricane Keli formed on 16 August and peaked at 100 kt in the archive. It passed about 70 miles southwest of Johnston Atoll, where officials had ordered an evacuation, bringing about an inch of rain and gusts to 39 mph. Tropical Storm Kenna's remnants dropped 6 to 8 inches of rain on the Big Island's windward side, easing the drought, and Tropical Storm Moke formed near Midway in early September. Hurricane Lowell, at sea in late August, cracked the bow of the freighter Blue Falcon and forced the rescue of its 23 crew.

Norbert and Odile strike Mexico

Hurricane Norbert formed southwest of Baja California on 14 September and swung between Category 3 and 4 for days, peaking at 115 kt on 21 September. A reconnaissance flight on 23 September mapped its inner core in three dimensions for the first time. Norbert weakened to a tropical storm before landfall near Punta Abreojos on 26 September. About 90 percent of structures in Punta Abreojos and La Bocana were demolished, with one death and one person missing there.

Hurricane Odile formed south of Acapulco on 17 September and peaked at 90 kt early on 22 September. It came ashore about 45 miles northwest of Zihuatanejo that evening with winds of 60 mph. Rain totals reached 24.73 inches near Acapulco, 44 communities with some 30,000 residents were cut off in Guerrero, and a barge capsized on the Atoyac River, drowning 21 people. Odile killed at least 21 people and damaged about 900 homes.

Hurricane Polo, the last major hurricane, peaked at 100 kt on 1 October and crossed Baja California Sur as a depression on 3 October; its moisture reached Utah, New Mexico and Colorado. Tropical Storms Rachel and Simon closed the year over open water. Every name on the 1984 list was new, and none was retired.