2002 Pacific hurricane season

An El Niño season heavy on major hurricanes

Tropical-stage activity in the archive runs from May 24 to November 16 and covers 20 tracked systems, which together produced an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) of 162.4. Storm and hurricane numbers were modest for the eastern Pacific, but major hurricanes were plentiful: six of the eight hurricanes reached at least 96 kt, and three reached Category 5, a total the season article describes as tying the record for one Pacific season.

A moderately strong El Niño was under way. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center linked most of its storms to periods when the Intertropical Convergence Zone turned very active and took on the shape of a monsoon trough stretching east toward Mexico, a pattern it described as common in El Niño years, when sea surface temperatures run warmer than normal and activity tends to last later into the season. The warm pattern may also help explain the high share of major hurricanes.

The site's totals of 15 tropical storms, 8 hurricanes and 6 major hurricanes match the season article's counts. Its tally of 20 tracked systems is one higher than the article's 19 depressions because the archive also carries Kalmaegi, a depression recognised by the Japan Meteorological Agency just east of the Date Line in July but not classified by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. The site's ACE covers each storm's whole tropical stage, including the days Ele and Huko spent as typhoons west of the Date Line, so it runs higher than the season article's figure of 125.

Bursts of activity from May to November

The season opened early. Hurricane Alma formed from a tropical wave on May 24, became a hurricane on May 28 and peaked at 100 kt on May 30, a rare major hurricane for May, without affecting land. June was quiet. Tropical Storm Boris stalled offshore and dropped heavy rain along southwestern Mexico, and a short-lived depression later in the month never strengthened because of wind shear.

July brought Tropical Storm Cristina, which struggled through strong shear, then Hurricane Douglas and Hurricane Elida in quick succession. Elida began strengthening explosively as soon as it formed, going from a 25 kt depression to 140 kt in about 54 hours; among recent eastern Pacific hurricanes, the National Hurricane Center found only Linda of 1997 comparable. Then came an unusual lull: apart from a brief depression near the tip of Baja California, no tropical storm formed during the first three weeks of August, normally a busy stretch.

Late August made up for it. Hurricane Fausto, Tropical Storm Genevieve and Hurricane Hernan formed off Mexico, while Tropical Storm Alika and Hurricane Ele developed south of Hawaii; for about 12 hours three tropical cyclones were active at once in the central Pacific. September was calmer, with Tropical Storm Iselle paralleling the Mexican coast and Tropical Storm Julio coming ashore. The final burst in late October produced Hurricane Kenna, Tropical Storm Lowell and Hurricane Huko, and a last depression faded on November 16.

Three Category 5 hurricanes

Hurricane Kenna was the season's strongest storm, peaking at 145 kt with a central pressure of 913 hPa near 00:00 UTC on October 25, about 125 nautical miles west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes. It had strengthened from 40 kt to 140 kt in 42 hours, and the National Hurricane Center noted that official forecasts, like the models, badly underestimated that growth.

Hurricane Elida and Hurricane Hernan each peaked at 140 kt and 921 hPa, Elida on July 25 and Hernan on September 1, both well south and southwest of Mexico. Hurricane Fausto reached 125 kt on August 24, giving the eastern Pacific a fourth storm at Category 4 or stronger, and Alma rounded out the major hurricanes formed east of 140°W.

In the central Pacific, Hurricane Ele was by far the most intense storm, with 110 kt winds as it crossed the Date Line on August 30. It kept strengthening as a typhoon, and its full track peaks at 115 kt and 927 hPa. Ele also had the longest tropical stage of the season, about 16 days.

Kenna, Julio and the storms that stayed offshore

An upper trough turned Hurricane Kenna northeast toward Mexico, and increasing shear weakened it before it made landfall near San Blas, Nayarit, at 16:30 UTC on October 25 with winds estimated near 120 kt. Only an unnamed hurricane in 1959 and Hurricane Madeline in 1976 are known to have been stronger at landfall on that coast. Mexican authorities estimated a storm surge of up to 16 feet at San Blas, and surge also struck Puerto Vallarta.

Mexican authorities reported four deaths from Kenna, and media reported more than 100 injuries in San Blas and Puerto Vallarta. Almost all of San Blas's roughly 9,000 residents had evacuated, which likely kept the toll low, although 80 to 90 percent of its homes were reported damaged or destroyed. The National Hurricane Center put damage in Puerto Vallarta, mostly to hotels, at about US$5 million (2002 dollars), with no estimate for San Blas; the season article cites insured losses of about US$96 million (2002 dollars).

Tropical Storm Julio made landfall just west-northwest of Lázaro Cárdenas around 00:00 UTC on September 26 with 40 kt winds. Flash flooding damaged or destroyed about 100 homes in Acapulco and Zihuatanejo. The National Hurricane Center received no casualty reports, while the season article counts three indirect deaths when a school bus overturned near Taxco.

Other storms affected land from a distance. Boris damaged several homes with heavy rain along the Mexican coast, Iselle brought heavy rain to the Baja California peninsula, and Hernan's large wind field sent strong winds to Socorro Island and big surf to Mexico and Southern California. Huko passed south of Johnston Atoll with only gusty winds.

Storms that crossed the Pacific

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center tracked five named systems in its area, a near-normal total: Alika, Ele and Huko formed there, while Fausto and Lowell drifted in from the east. Ele and Huko both crossed the Date Line and became typhoons in the western Pacific, which is why their full tracks on the map extend far beyond the basin.

Fausto was the region's most unusual storm. After weakening to a remnant low, it interacted with an upper-level low well north of Hawaii and regenerated, briefly regaining tropical storm strength on September 1 before a mid-latitude system absorbed it. The center noted this was only the second documented tropical storm in that part of the Pacific, after a similar case in 1975.

The name Kenna was retired from the eastern Pacific lists in spring 2003 because of the deaths and damage it caused, and it was replaced by Karina.