1978 Pacific hurricane season

1978 Pacific hurricane season

First storm formed	May 30, 1978
Last storm dissipated	October 21, 1978
Strongest storm	Fico, Hector, and Norman – 140 mph (220 km/h) (1-minute sustained)
Total depressions	23
Total storms	19
Hurricanes	14
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+)	7
Total fatalities	Unknown
Total damage	Unknown
Pacific hurricane seasons 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980

The 1978 Pacific hurricane season officially began May 15, 1978, in the eastern Pacific, June 1, 1978 in the central Pacific, and officially ended 30 November 1978. These dates conventionally delimit the period of time when tropical cyclones form in the eastern north Pacific Ocean.

Activity this year was slightly above average, with eighteen named storms forming. Five of those were tropical storms, thirteen were hurricanes, and six were major hurricanes that reached Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. In the Central Pacific, a tropical depression and a major hurricane formed.

Contents 1 Storms 1.1 Hurricane Aletta 1.2 Tropical Storm Bud 1.3 Hurricane Carlotta 1.4 Hurricane Daniel 1.5 Tropical Depression Five 1.6 Tropical Storm Emilia 1.7 Hurricane Fico 1.8 Hurricane Gilma 1.9 Hurricane Hector 1.10 Tropical Depression Ten 1.11 Hurricane Iva 1.12 Tropical Depression 10A 1.13 Hurricane John 1.14 Hurricane Kristy 1.15 Tropical Storm Lane 1.16 Hurricane Miriam 1.17 Hurricane Norman 1.18 Tropical Depression Seventeen 1.19 Hurricane Olivia 1.20 Tropical Storm Paul 1.21 Hurricane Rosa 1.22 Hurricane Susan 1.23 Tropical Storm Sergio 2 1978 Storm Names 2.1 Retirement 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

Storms

Hurricane Aletta

Category 1 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	May 30 – May 31
Intensity	75 mph (120 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Aletta made landfall in western Mexico as a tropical storm on May 31.

Tropical Storm Bud

Tropical storm (SSHS)
Duration	June 17 – June 20
Intensity	60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Bud formed on June 17 and dissipated 3 days later without affecting land. Bud was the first East Pacific Tropical Cyclone to receive a male name.

Hurricane Carlotta

Category 4 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	June 17 – June 25
Intensity	135 mph (215 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Carlotta was a category 4 hurricane that did not affect land. At the time, it was the third strongest June storm, after 1973's Ava and 1976's Annette.

Hurricane Daniel

Category 3 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	June 26 – July 3
Intensity	115 mph (185 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Daniel was a strong category three hurricane which did not affect land. It made 1978 the first season with multiple major hurricanes in June at the time; 2010 would follow.

Tropical Depression Five

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration	June 30 – July 2
Intensity	35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Existed between June 30 and July 2.

Tropical Storm Emilia

Tropical storm (SSHS)
Duration	July 6 – July 10
Intensity	65 mph (100 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Emilia was a short lived tropical storm which did not affect land.

Hurricane Fico

Category 4 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	July 9 – July 28
Intensity	140 mph (220 km/h) (1-min),  955 mbar (hPa)

Hurricane Fico was the longest-lived hurricane of the season and at the time was the longest-lasting Pacific hurricane on record. It developed from a tropical disturbance off the coast of Mexico on July 9. It moved northwestward and then westward, quickly reaching peak winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) on July 12. Moving nearly due westward, the intensity of Fico fluctuated from Category 1 to Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale for the following days, and it passed about 170 miles (275 km) south of Hawaii on July 20 with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). Fico slowly weakened as it turned to the northwest over cooler waters, and became an extratropical cyclone on July 28 to the northeast of Midway Island.

Swells from Fico, combined with swells from a storm in the Southern Hemisphere, produced rough surf throughout the Hawaiian islands. The surf destroyed one house and resulted in considerable damage along the southern coast of the island of Hawaii. No deaths were reported, and damage totaled $200,000 (1978 USD, $619,000 2006 USD).^[1]

Hurricane Gilma

Category 3 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	July 13 – July 20
Intensity	115 mph (185 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Gilma was a short-lived storm which did not affect land.

Hurricane Hector

Category 4 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	July 22 – July 29
Intensity	140 mph (220 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Hector was the strongest storm of this year, but did not affect land.

Tropical Depression Ten

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration	August 8 – August 8
Intensity	35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Existed on August 8.

Hurricane Iva

Category 1 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	August 11 – August 15
Intensity	75 mph (120 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Iva's scattered remnants caused rain on the islands of Hawaii and Maui.

Tropical Depression 10A

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration	August 7 – August 9
Intensity	35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Existed in the Central Pacific. This system was labeled Tropical Depression 10-A by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

Hurricane John

Category 2 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	August 18 – August 31
Intensity	105 mph (165 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

John was a category 2 storm that did not affect land.

Hurricane Kristy

Category 2 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	August 18 – August 28
Intensity	105 mph (165 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Kristy was a category 2 storm that did not affect land.

Tropical Storm Lane

Tropical storm (SSHS)
Duration	August 19 – August 24
Intensity	60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Lane was a storm that did not affect land.

Hurricane Miriam

Category 1 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	August 23 – September 1
Intensity	90 mph (150 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Miriam threatened the Hawaiian Islands as a tropical storm, but veered south. Miriam had no effect on the islands. The storm dissipated September 2.

Hurricane Norman

Category 4 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	August 30 – September 6
Intensity	140 mph (220 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Norman was powerful Category 4 hurricane. It had no effect on land as a hurricane, but after weakening to a tropical storm, Norman recurved and headed straight for southern California. Norman made landfall as a depression and had dissipated by September 7. Heavy rains fell across the Sierra Nevada range in California, with a maximum amount of 7.01 inches reported at Lodgepole.^[2]

Tropical Depression Seventeen

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration	September 8 – September 9
Intensity	35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Existed between September 8 and September 9.

Hurricane Olivia

Category 1 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	September 20 – September 23
Intensity	75 mph (120 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Hurricane Olivia was a continuation of Atlantic Hurricane Greta. The depression emerged from Central America and quickly restrengthened into Tropical Storm Olivia. The storm erratically changed course and headed straight north as a hurricane. Olivia made landfall near the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and dissipated on September 23.

Tropical Storm Paul

Tropical storm (SSHS)
Duration	September 23 – September 26
Intensity	45 mph (75 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Paul brushed the southern tip of Baja California and made landfall in western Mexico.

Hurricane Rosa

Category 1 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	October 2 – October 7
Intensity	85 mph (140 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

As a tropical storm, Rosa came close to Baja California Sur but never made landfall.

Hurricane Susan

Category 4 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	October 18 – October 24
Intensity	135 mph (215 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

The only cyclone to develop in the central Pacific did so on October 18. Susan rapidly intensified into a Category 4 hurricane and one of the three strongest storms then known in the central Pacific. Initially heading on a course that aimed directly at the Big Island, Susan instead turned to the southwest and decayed rapidly due to wind shear.

Tropical Storm Sergio

Tropical storm (SSHS)
Duration	October 18 – October 20
Intensity	40 mph (65 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

Sergio dissipated before making landfall on the Pacific coast of Baja California.

1978 Storm Names

These names were used for storms forming in the eastern Pacific Ocean this year. This is the first time these names were used except for Carlotta and Olivia, which was used in 1967, 1971, and 1975. Names not retired from this list were used in the 1982 season. At this time, lists were intended to be repeated every four years instead of six.

This is the first season to use lists with male and female names on it. It is also the first year of modern naming.

Aletta Bud Carlotta Daniel Emilia Fico Gilma

Hector Iva John Kristy Lane Miriam Norman

Olivia Paul Rosa Sergio Tara (unused) Vicente (unused) Willa (unused)

The central Pacific used names and numbers from the western Pacific's typhoon list. One name – Susan – was used.

Retirement

The World Meteorological Organization retired the name Fico in the spring of 1979. It was replaced with Fabio.

See also

• List of Pacific hurricanes
• List of Pacific hurricane seasons
• 1978 Atlantic hurricane season
• 1978 Pacific typhoon season
• 1978 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
• Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons: 1977–78, 1978–79

References

External links

• Unisys Archive
• CPHC 1978 report

1970–1979 Pacific hurricane seasons Previous: 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · Next: 1980