1978 Pacific hurricane season
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| First storm formed: | May 30, 1978 |
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| Last storm dissipated: | October 21, 1978 |
| Strongest storm: | Fico and Norman - 120 knots |
| Total storms: | 19 |
| Major storms (Cat. 3+): | 7 |
| Total damage: | unknown |
| Total fatalities: | unknown |
| Pacific hurricane seasons 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 |
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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.
| Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale | ||||||
| TD | TS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Contents |
[edit] Storms
[edit] Hurricane Aletta
Aletta made landfall in western Mexico as a tropical storm on May 31.
[edit] Hurricane Fico
- Main article: Hurricane Fico
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| Duration | July 9, 1978 – July 28, 1978 | |||
| Intensity | 140 mph (220 km/h), ≤955 mbar (hPa) | |||
-_072078.JPG/150px-Hurricane_Fico_(1978)-_072078.JPG)
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]
[edit] Hurricane Iva
Iva's scattered remnants caused rain on the islands of Hawaii and Maui.
[edit] Hurricane Miriam
Miriam threatened the Hawaiian Islands as a tropical storm, but veered south. Miriam had no effect on the islands. The storm dissipated September 2.
[edit] Hurricane Norman
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| Norman satellite image and storm path | |
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Norman was powerful Category 4 hurricane. It had no effect on land while a hurricane. 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]
[edit] Hurricane Olivia
- Main article: Hurricane Greta-Olivia
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.
[edit] Tropical Storm Paul
Paul brushed the southern tip of Baja California and made landfall in western Mexico.
[edit] Hurricane Rosa
As a tropical storm, Rosa came close to Baja California Sur but never made landfall.
[edit] Hurricane Susan
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 southeast and decayed rapidly due to wind shear.
[edit] Tropical Storm Sergio
Sergio dissipated before making landfall on the Pacific coast of Baja California.
[edit] Other storms
From August 7 to August 9, heavy thunderstorms associated with a tropical depression spread across the Hawaiian Islands. The depression's winds never exceeded gale-force.
[edit] 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. 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.
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The central Pacific used names and numbers from the western Pacific's typhoon list. One name– Susan– was retired.
[edit] Retirement
The World Meteorological Organization retired one name in the spring of 1979: Fico. It was replaced with Fabio.
[edit] See also
- List of tropical cyclones
- 1978 Atlantic hurricane season
- 1978 Pacific typhoon season
- 1977-78 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season
- 1978-79 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season
- Pre-1980 North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons
[edit] References
- ^ The State of Hawaii Data Book (2000). Geography and Environment of Hawaii. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
- ^ Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. Hurricane Norman. Retrieved on 2007-02-28.
[edit] External links
| 1970-79 Pacific hurricane seasons | |
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| Previous: 1969 | 1970s: 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | Next: 1980 | |
