1998 Pacific hurricane season

1998 Pacific hurricane season

The 1998 Pacific hurricane season was a below average hurricane season. It had six major hurricanes, which was well above average. The season produced 13 named storms, slightly below the average of 15 storms per season. The most notable tropical cyclone of the year was Hurricane Isis, which killed 14 people.

About 1998 Pacific hurricane season in brief

Summary 1998 Pacific hurricane seasonThe 1998 Pacific hurricane season was a below average hurricane season. It had six major hurricanes, which was well above average. The season produced 13 named storms, slightly below the average of 15 storms per season. The most notable tropical cyclone of the year was Hurricane Isis, which killed fourteen people when it made landfall on southern Baja California Sur and coastal Sinaloa in Mexico. A semi-permanent anticyclone persisted through the summer of 1998, causing most of the storms to remain at sea. The total ACE for the season was 133. 97 × 104 kt2. Because several storms in 1998 were long-lasting or intense, the season’s ACE was near-normal. Hurricane Howard had the highest ACE, measuring 29. 27 x 104kt2, while Hurricane Madeline contributed to a deadly and costly flood in southern Texas. A few days later, another tropical disturbance paralleled the southern coast of Mexico and dissipated over the open waters of the Pacific Ocean. The storm never affected land, and a day later, it dissipated back into a tropical depression, and later a day after that, a tropical storm, Agatha. It was the first tropical storm of the season to develop in the central Pacific Ocean, about ten days later than the normal start of the month. It quickly strengthened, and early on June 11, it attained a peak intensity of 65 mph, while about 6iles southwest of the southern tip of BajaCalifornia Sur. It dissipated on October 20, and it was the last storm to form in the Central Pacific Ocean that year, on November 30. It is the only storm to have been named Agatha, and the only one to become a hurricane in the region since Hurricane Agatha in 1992.

It has been named after a fictional character from the film The Godfather, who was inspired by the film’s title, “Agatha” The season officially started on May 15 in the eastern Pacific and on June 1 in thecentral Pacific, and ended on November30. It produced nine hurricanes, one above the average. It also produced one major hurricane, which surpassed the average by one. The final storm, HurricaneMadeline, dissipated on October 20. It later produced sporadic rainfall in the southwestern United States, leading to some traffic accidents. The nation experienced indirect effects from four other storms, all of which remained offshore. A poorly defined tropical wave crossed Central America into theEastern Pacific Ocean on June 8. As it tracked westward under the influence of a ridge to its north, a broad circulation developed, with increasingly organized convection and developing banding features. By June 13, the NHC upgraded the depression to tropical storm status, and gave it the name “Agatha’s” name. Later, an approaching tropical wave merged with the depression, resulting in a trend of intensification and increased organization. The depression failed to attain any significant organization in the days subsequent to its formation. As Agatha was about 650 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas when it became a tropicalStorm, forecasters predicted it would not strengthen further.