2018 Eastern Pacific hurricane season
Hurricane Willa 2018
Willa intensified rapidly off southwestern Mexico before weakening toward Sinaloa. It remained a major hurricane at landfall and brought destructive flooding to Sinaloa and Nayarit.
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161 mph
Oct 22, 2018 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Rapid growth off southwestern Mexico
Willa developed from a tropical wave that crossed Central America into the Pacific. It became a depression and named storm on October 20, then intensified rapidly. Archived sustained winds reached 140 knots early on October 22, with a central pressure of 925 millibars.
An eyewall replacement cycle and increasing wind shear weakened the hurricane before landfall. Willa reached Sinaloa early on October 24 UTC with archived winds of 100 knots, equivalent to Category 3 strength. It weakened rapidly over Mexico's terrain and dissipated later that day.
Flooding and damage to essential services
Overflowing rivers damaged communities and cut access to drinking water in parts of Sinaloa and Nayarit. Escuinapa suffered major damage to schools, a hospital and other infrastructure. Power failed for nearly 100,000 people across four states, while flooding and landslides affected surrounding areas.
The storm caused nine deaths and an estimated 16.2 billion pesos in damage, approximately US$825 million in 2018 dollars. Remnant moisture later contributed to flash flooding in Texas.
Further reading
NOAA IBTrACS v04r01 historical track archive
Official report (PDF) — National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report.
QUICK ANSWERS
Willa in brief
What was Hurricane Willa's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 22, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Hurricane Willa?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 22, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane Willa's lowest pressure?
925 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 22, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Hurricane Willa occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 19, 2018, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 24, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 20, 2018, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 24, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC.
Where did Hurricane Willa form?
In the Eastern Pacific basin, in the 2018 season. Its first archived position is 14.2°N, 98.9°W on Oct 19, 2018, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Hurricane Willa make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 115 mph on Oct 24, 2018, 01:30 AM 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