The 1983 Pacific hurricane season was the longest season ever recorded at that time. It was a very active
Pacific hurricane season
A Pacific hurricane is a mature tropical cyclone that develops within the northeastern and central Pacific Ocean to the east of 180°W, north of the equator. For tropical cyclone warning purposes, the northern Pacific is divided into three regio ...
. The season started on May 15, 1983 in the eastern Pacific, and on June 1, 1983 in the central Pacific, and lasted until November 30, 1983. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
During the 1983 season, there were 21
named storms, which was slightly less than the previous season. Furthermore, twelve of those storms became hurricanes. And eight of the storms reached major hurricane status, or Category 3 or higher on the
Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS). The decaying
1982–83 El Niño event
The 1982–1983 El Niño event was one of the strongest El Niño events since records were kept.
It led to droughts in Indonesia and Australia, widespread flooding across the southern United States, lack of snow in the northern United States, and ...
likely contributed to this level of activity. That same El Niño influenced a very quiet
Atlantic hurricane season
The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year from June through November when tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean, referred to in North American countries as hurricanes, tropical storms, or tropical depressions. In addition ...
.
The first storm of the season, Hurricane Adolph, became the southernmost-forming east Pacific tropical cyclone on record after forming at a latitude of 7.1°N. After a slow start, activity picked up in July, when
Hurricane Gil moved through the
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...
, resulting in minor damage. In early August,
Hurricane Ismael
Hurricane Ismael was a weak, but deadly Pacific hurricane that killed over one hundred people in northern Mexico in September of the 1995 Pacific hurricane season. It developed from a persistent area of deep Atmospheric convection, convection on ...
was responsible for three deaths and $19 million (1983 USD) in damage in the United States. In September, hurricanes Kiko and Lorena brought significant damage and seven deaths to southern Mexico. About a month later,
Tropical Storm Octave became the worst
tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
on record to affect
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. Octave killed 15 people, and caused $500 million in damage to Arizona and $12.5 million to New Mexico. Later in October,
Hurricane Tico was a very intense hurricane at the time of its landfall and thus left 25,000 homeless. Damage throughout the country was estimated at $200 million while 135 deaths were reported in Mexico. Although most of its impact occurred in Mexico, Tico's remnants brought significant flooding in the
Central United States
The Central United States is sometimes conceived as between the Eastern and Western as part of a three-region model, roughly coincident with the U.S. Census' definition of the Midwestern United States plus the western and central portions of ...
, resulting in six deaths and $42 million in damage. A few days later, Hurricane Raymond posed a threat to
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, but did little actual damage. The final storm of the season, Hurricane Winnie, was a rare December cyclone.
__TOC__
Seasonal summary
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from:24/08/1983 till:01/09/1983 color:TS text:"Juliette (TS)"
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from:06/09/1983 till:14/09/1983 color:C3 text:"Lorena (C3)"
from:12/09/1983 till:20/09/1983 color:C3 text:"Manuel (C3)"
from:21/09/1983 till:01/10/1983 color:TS text:"Narda (TS)"
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from:09/10/1983 till:14/10/1983 color:TS text:"Sonia (TS)"
from:11/10/1983 till:19/10/1983 color:C4 text:" Tico (C4)"
from:18/10/1983 till:18/10/1983 color:TD text:"Twentytwo (TD)"
from:01/11/1983 till:03/11/1983 color:TS text:"Velma (TS)"
from:04/12/1983 till:07/12/1983 color:C1 text:"Winnie (C1)"
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from:01/08/1983 till:01/09/1983 text:August
from:01/09/1983 till:01/10/1983 text:September
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from:01/12/1983 till:01/01/1984 text:December
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During the 1983 season, a total of 21
named storms formed, which was well-above the long-term average of 15.
However, this total was slightly less active than the
1982 Pacific hurricane season
The 1982 Pacific hurricane season, with 23 named storms, ranks as the fourth-most active Pacific hurricane season on record, tied with 2018. It was at that time the most active season in the basin until it was later surpassed by the 1985 season. I ...
, which saw a then-record 22 storms form.
However, 1983 was at that time the most active season in the
Eastern Pacific Hurricane Center The Eastern Pacific Hurricane Center was formerly the center responsible for forecasting Pacific hurricanes in the eastern north Pacific east of 140°W. It was part of the Weather Bureau Forecast Office San Francisco and was based in Redwood City.
...
(EPHC) warning zone,
but this record itself was surpassed during the
1985 Pacific hurricane season
The 1985 Pacific hurricane season is the third-most active Pacific hurricane season on record. It officially started on May 15, 1985, in the eastern Pacific, and on June 1, 1985, in the central Pacific, and lasted until November 30, 1985. These d ...
,
and again in the
1992 Pacific hurricane season
The 1992 Pacific hurricane season is the most active Pacific hurricane season on record, featuring 27 named storms, and the second-costliest Pacific hurricane season in history, behind the 2013 season. The season also produced the second-highest ...
.
Additionally, 12 storms reached
hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
intensity, which was above the average of eight.
Of the 12 hurricanes, eight attained Category 3 intensity or higher on the SSHWS. The season started on May 21 with the formation of Adolph and ended on December 9, with the dissipation of Hurricane Winnie. Lasting 201 days, 1983 was the longest season on record. There were a total of 1,238 storm hours, which was the most in four years.
Despite the activity in the EPHC's warning responsibility, only two storms formed in the
Central Pacific Hurricane Center
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) of the United States National Weather Service is the official body responsible for tracking and issuing tropical cyclone warnings, watches, advisories, discussions, and statements for the Central Pacifi ...
(CPHC)'s area of responsibility, both of which stayed depressions.
A moderate
El Niño
El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date L ...
was present throughout the season, with water temperatures across the equatorial Central Pacific was nearly 5 °F (0.6 °C) above normal. The
Pacific decadal oscillation
The Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) is a robust, recurring pattern of ocean-atmosphere climate variability centered over the mid-latitude Pacific basin. The PDO is detected as warm or cool surface waters in the Pacific Ocean, north of 20°N. O ...
(PDO) was in a warm phase during this time period. Both of these factors are known to enhance
Pacific hurricane season
A Pacific hurricane is a mature tropical cyclone that develops within the northeastern and central Pacific Ocean to the east of 180°W, north of the equator. For tropical cyclone warning purposes, the northern Pacific is divided into three regio ...
activity. Furthermore, 1983 was in the middle of an era where all but the
1988 Pacific hurricane season
The 1988 Pacific hurricane season was the least active Pacific hurricane season since 1981. It officially began May 15, in the eastern Pacific, and June 1, in the central Pacific and lasted until November 30. These dates conventionally delimit th ...
was near or above average.
One storm in 1983 formed in May, an event the occurs every other year on average. Another storm formed in June, which was below the average of 1.7 storms per June. Despite a somewhat slow start, activity picked up in July, where 6 storms formed. This was twice the average, though only two of the storm thus far had exceeded
hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
intensity. Although August was less active, with only 3 storms developing, compared to the average of 4, two of the storms that formed in July lasted into the early part of the month. However, activity picked back up again in September, with 5 storms forming, which was above the average of 3. Three storms also formed in October, which was two storms above normal. One storm developed in November as well, a somewhat unusual occurrence. For the first time since 1947, a hurricane developed in December.
Three storms during the season made
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
on Mexico. The first, Adolph did so in May. The second, Tico, hit near
Mazatlán
Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding ''municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of ...
as a powerful hurricane, resulting in severe damage. Around this time, a weak tropical depression made landfall along the western portion of the nation as well.
In addition, Tropical Depression Raymond made landfall on Hawaii in late October.
Hurricane Hunters flew into 2 storms within the EPHC zone, Manuel and Ismael.
Moreover, they flew into 3 storms in CPHC's area of responsibility, Tropical Storms Gil and Narda, and Hurricane Raymond.
Systems
Hurricane Adolph
On May 21, a tropical depression formed southwest of
Managua
)
, settlement_type = Capital city
, motto =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Nicara ...
,
at a latitude of 7.1°N, becoming the southernmost-forming
tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
in the east Pacific basin.
As the depression headed gradually west-northwestward over extremely warm
sea surface temperatures
Sea surface temperature (SST), or ocean surface temperature, is the ocean temperature close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masse ...
, it steadily intensified. Later that day, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Adolph. Further intensification occurred as Adolph headed west-northwestward; by May 24, the EPHC reported that Adolph had strengthened into a
hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
,
setting a then-record for the earliest known hurricane in the basin, though this was later surpassed by
Hurricane Alma The name Alma has been used to name 11 tropical cyclones worldwide: 5 in the North Atlantic Ocean, 5 in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and 1 in the Western Pacific Ocean.
In the Atlantic:
* Tropical Storm Alma (1958), made landfall in northeastern Mexi ...
in
May 1990.
Shortly thereafter, the storm turned northwestward and intensified into a Category 2 hurricane on the SSHWS. Around that time, Adolph attained its peak intensity with winds of
as the storm briefly developed a well-defined
eye
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...
.
At that time, Adolph was the strongest May hurricane on record. However, this record was broken by
a hurricane in 2001 that was also named Adolph.
Following peak intensity, Adolph gradually weakened to a Category 1 hurricane. By May 25, Adolph curved sharply north-northeastward, as a result of being steered by
anticyclonic deep-layer mean. Despite being situated over fairly warm waters, Adolph weakened considerably due to increased
wind shear
Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizontal ...
.
Although the EPHC expected the storm to stay at sea,
Adolph curved north-northeastward. It was then downgraded to a tropical storm on May 25. Rapidly weakening, Tropical Storm Adolph moved onshore near
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadala ...
early the next day. After briefly moving offshore, it again made landfall near
Mazatlán
Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding ''municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of ...
at 0800 UTC that day. Adolph soon dissipated over land,
becoming the first of two storms to strike the Pacific coast of Mexico during the season. Because Hurricane Adolph weakened significantly prior to
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
,
no deaths or major damage occurred.
However, the remnants of the storm brought heavy showers and gusty winds to
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. Although a modern
Pacific hurricane
A Pacific hurricane is a mature tropical cyclone that develops within the northeastern and central Pacific Ocean to the east of 180°W, north of the equator. For tropical cyclone warning purposes, the northern Pacific is divided into three regio ...
season begins May 15,
one newspaper considered Adolph a
"pre-season" storm.
Hurricane Barbara
A tropical disturbance was first observed in early June about south of
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
, and headed westward. The tropical disturbance intensified, and became the second tropical depression of the season on June 9. After staying a tropical depression for 24 hours, the system was subsequently upgraded to Tropical Storm Barbara.
Initially, Barbara was expected to come very close to the Mexican coast; however, this failed to happen.
At first, Tropical Storm Barbara moved west-northwest, though on June 11, the cyclone turned west-northwest
while gradually gaining intensity. At 1800 UTC on June 12, Barbara was estimated to have attained hurricane status while centered north of
Clipperton Island
Clipperton Island ( or ; ) is an uninhabited, coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is from Paris, France, from Papeete, Tahiti, and from Mexico. It is an Overseas France, overseas state private property of France under direct authori ...
.
Shortly after becoming a hurricane,
rapid deepening
In meteorology, rapid intensification is a situation where a tropical cyclone intensifies dramatically in a short period of time. The United States National Hurricane Center defines rapid intensification as an increase in the maximum sustained ...
commenced, and by early the next morning, the hurricane was a high-end Category 1. Six hours later, Barbara skipped Category 2 status, and became a major hurricane. At 1800 UTC on June 13, Hurricane Barbara was upgraded into a category 4 hurricane on the SSHWS while its peak strength of 130 mph (215 km/h).
At peak, Barbara had a "fantastic eye".
Hurricane Barbara held on to peak intensity for a day. Thereafter, Barbara slowly weakened after peak intensity as it began to encounter cooler water temperatures, while moving slowly northward around the western edge of a
high pressure area
A high-pressure area, high, or anticyclone, is an area near the surface of a planet where the atmospheric pressure is greater than the pressure in the surrounding regions. Highs are middle-scale meteorological features that result from interpl ...
over central Mexico. By the early morning hours of June 16, the hurricane was positioned west-southwest of
Socorro Island
Socorro Island ( es, Isla Socorro) is a small volcanic island in the Revillagigedo Islands, a Mexican possession lying off the country's western coast. The size is 16.5 by 11.5 km (10.25 by 7.15 miles), with an area of . It is the largest ...
and about west of the coast of Mexico. Later that day, Barbara weakened into a tropical storm due to strong wind shear. Barbara was downgraded to a tropical depression early on June 17. Further weakening persisted, and Barbara dissipated on June 18.
At the time of dissipation, the system was situated several hundred miles west-southwest of the
Baja California peninsula.
Tropical Storm Cosme
A westward-moving low-latitude tropical disturbance was declared a tropical depression early on July 2. After making a turn northwest, the depression maintained its intensity for 42 hours. By 1200 UTC on July 4, the system was finally upgraded into a tropical storm after
convection
Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the convec ...
increased in coverage. However, Cosme failed to intensify further, and after encountering cooler waters, the storm rapidly dissipated. The EPHC declared Cosme dissipated at 1800 UTC on July 5.
Tropical Storm Dalilia
An intense area of thunderstorms developed south of the
Gulf of Tehuantepec
Gulf of Tehuantepec () is a large body of water on the Pacific coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, southeastern Mexico, at . Many (but not all) Pacific hurricanes form in or near this body of water. A strong, gale-force wind called the Tehuan ...
on July 4. The system was first classified as a tropical depression at 1800 UTC on July 5 roughly south-southeast of Acapulco. Turning west-northwest and then northwest while accelerating, the EPHC upgraded the depression into Tropical Storm Dalilia at 1800 UTC on July 6. Continuing to gain strength, Dalilia reached its peak intensity as a strong tropical storm early on July 8. After turning west the tropical storm started to lose strength while encountering colder water. At 0600 UTC on July 10, Tropical Storm Dalilia had been downgraded into a tropical depression. Two days later, the EPHC reported that the tropical cyclone had dissipated.
Tropical Storm Erick
Tropical Storm Erick originated from a
tropical wave
A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
that crossed Central America on July 9 and July 10. At 0600 UTC on July 12, the EPHC reported that it had upgraded the disturbance into a tropical depression. The depression moved steadily west-northwest under the influence of an
anticyclone
An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined as a large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from abov ...
over the
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...
. The system gradually intensified over waters as warm as and at 0000 UTC on July 13, the agency upgraded the low into a tropical storm. Tropical Storm Erick reached its peak intensity on July 14 as a high-end tropical storm. The storm maintained peak intensity for 24 hours, before encountering cooler water. Rapidly weakening, Erick dissipated on July 16 far from land.
Tropical Storm Flossie
A tropical disturbance developed southwest of
Manzanillo late on July 16. Several hours later, the disturbance was classified as a tropical depression. Initially, the depression drifted southward, but at 1800 UTC on July 17, the system suddenly turned west-northwest and accelerated. The storm gradually intensified while passing northeast of Socorro Island. Midday on July 19, the tropical depression was upgraded into Tropical Storm Flossie. Six hours later, Tropical Storm Flossie reached its peak wind speed of . While the storm approached the Baja California peninsula, the storm ultimately turned west into an area of cool water and high amounts of wind shear. By 0000 UTC on July 21, Flossie weakened into a tropical storm. Twelve hours later, Flossie ceased to exist as a tropical cyclone.
Hurricane Gil
The seventh tropical cyclone of the season developed during the afternoon hours of July 23 north of Clipperton Island. Thereafter, the EPHC upgraded the depression to Tropical Storm Gil on July 24. Gil subsequently began to intensify; on 0000 UTC July 26, the storm was upgraded into a Category 1 hurricane. Early on July 27, the storm attained its peak intensity of 90 mph (150 km/h). Despite turning west-northwest, Hurricane Gil maintained hurricane intensity until July 29 when the storm began to encounter cooler waters. Two days later, Gil was downgraded a tropical depression.
After entering CPHC's warning zone on August 1, Gil was re-upgraded into a tropical storm.
Gil accelerated while approaching the Hawaiian Islands; on August 3, the tropical cyclone reached its secondary peak of 45 mph (75 km/h). After passing through the Hawaiian islands, Gil passed very close to
French Frigate Shoals
The French Frigate Shoals ( Hawaiian: Kānemilohai) is the largest atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its name commemorates French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse, who nearly lost two frigates when attempting to navigate the ...
on August 4 as a marginal tropical storm. Early on August 5, the system was downgraded into a tropical depression and degenerated into a
trough
Trough may refer to:
In science
* Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench
* Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure
* Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave
* Trough level (medicine), the l ...
about west-northwest of Tern Island later that day.
Prior to arrival of Gil,
gale warnings were issued for much of the islands, but on August 2, these warnings were discontinued for all islands except for Kauai.
Jellyfish
Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella- ...
stung 50 tourists.
[ ] On the northern part of the island, winds were reported, resulting in extensive damage in some areas, but slight damage to others. A minor power outage on the island briefly left 2,400 customers without electricity. In Maui, the
outer rainbands of Gil led to minor flooding. Overall, damage from Gil was minimal and less than expected.
Offshore, one person was presumed to have died when a
catamaran
A Formula 16 beachable catamaran
Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States
A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...
, named ''Hurricane'', went missing.
Additionally, the 30-foot ship ''Adad'' nearly sunk in the storm and all three people on board sustained injuries.
Hurricane Henriette
A tropical disturbance developed about south of the
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
coastline. After developing a circulation, the system was upgraded into a tropical depression on July 27. Moving west-northwest, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Henriette at 1800 UTC that day.
Henriette continued to deepen, and by late on July 28, the storm attained winds of . Although initially expected to pose a threat to Hawaii,
this did not occur. It rapidly intensified, and late on July 28, the EPHC upgraded the storm into a hurricane. While turning west-southwest on a track similar to Gil's,
it attained Category 2 intensity on July 29. At 0000 UTC on July 30, Henriette was upgraded into a Category 3 hurricane. After leveling off in intensity, the storm passed within within
Clipperton Island
Clipperton Island ( or ; ) is an uninhabited, coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is from Paris, France, from Papeete, Tahiti, and from Mexico. It is an Overseas France, overseas state private property of France under direct authori ...
.
Hurricane Henriette attained its peak intensity early on July 31, with winds of 130 mph (215 km/h), a Category 4 system. At peak, Henriette displayed a well-defined eye.
After continuing west-northwest for 12 hours, it then veered northwest and began to encounter cooler ocean temperatures. Henriette was slow to weaken,
and by August 2, it was downgraded into a Category 2 hurricane. Two days later, Henriette was downgraded into a tropical storm. A strong
trough
Trough may refer to:
In science
* Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench
* Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure
* Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave
* Trough level (medicine), the l ...
of low pressure pulled Henriette northwest, and later north. On August 5, the storm was downgraded into a tropical depression. The storm dissipated the next day at a high latitude, though the remnants of Henriette brought cloud cover to Oregon and Washington.
Tropical Depression Nine
On July 30 and 31, a tropical disturbance crossed Central America. At a low latitude, a tropical depression was declared on August 3.
At first, the storm was expected to turn west-northwest,
but it continued west instead.
Nine failed to intensify despite being situated over warm water. The depression dissipated on August 7 later over somewhat cooler water.
Hurricane Ismael
The origins of Hurricane Ismael were from a northward bulge of the
Intertropical Convergence Zone
The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal e ...
(ITCZ) in early August, which resulted in the formation of a tropical depression on August 8. Six hours later, it was upgraded into Tropical storm Ismael. Continuing to intensity, Ismael was upgraded into a hurricane late on August 10 and subsequently developed an
eye
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...
. The storm soon reached its peak of 100 mph (155 km/h). Late on August 11, Hurricane Ismael began to weaken as it encountered cooler waters and the hurricane was soon downgraded to a Category 1 on the SSHWS. The following day, Ismael was downgraded into a tropical storm about west of the
Baja California peninsula. On August 14, the storm was downgraded into a tropical depression while centered about west of
Point Ensenada.
Ismael dissipated that day.
While still out at sea, Ismael brought waves to much of Southern California, though waves from the storm were less than expected. One person was swept away at a beach.
The remnants of the storm later moved over South California,
[ ] resulting in moderate rainfall.
The
Yucca Valley
Yucca Valley is an List of municipalities in California, incorporated town in San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 20,700 as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Yucca ...
was the worst hit by the storm,
where nearly every road was washed out.
Almost 50,000 residents in
Palm Springs
Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...
were isolated due to rains.
A tornado near Los Angeles led to minor damage.
[ ] In
San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish language, Spanish for Bernardino of Siena, "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a ...
, many buildings were destroyed, forcing numerous evacuations.
Around 80,000 homes were left without power across the Inland Empire.
Moreover, three interstates were closed. In all, minor injuries were reported and three people died in San Bernardino when their car swept into a channel.
[ ][ ] Damage from the storm totaled $19 million (1983 USD).
After affecting California, the remnants of the hurricane moved into Nevada. Many parking lots in
Laughlin were flooded.
Two small towns were also isolated.
Several major streets in the outskirts of
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
were closed because of flooding.
Tropical Depression Eleven
The eleventh cyclone of the 1983 season formed from an intense area of thunderstorms located over the Yucatán Peninsula on August 11 and 12. After crossing the Mexican mainland, it emerged into the Pacific basin near Guadalajara early on August 13. After turning northwest, it intensified into a depression two days later after showing sign of a circulation. The depression continued northwest with little change in wind speed, and on August 16, about 24 hours after formation, the depression dissipated after its circulation ceased very close to landfall on the Baja California peninsula.
Tropical Depression One-C
Tropical Depression One-C formed on August 19 far from land, with winds of . It moved steadily west. Despite being over warm waters, One-C quickly weakened and lost deep
convection
Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the convec ...
. The depression dissipated on August 20 after briefly developing a closed circulation.
[
]
Tropical Storm Juliette
Tropical Storm Juliette originated from a tropical depression that first formed on August 24 east-northeast of Clipperton Island. Moving west-northwest and briefly west, the depression gradually intensified. The system then turned northwest around a ridge off the west coast of Baja California Sur. At 1800 UTC on August 26, the EPHC announced that the depression had strengthened into a tropical storm. Moving toward a strong trough off the west coast of the peninsula, Juliette reached its peak intensity as a mid-level tropical storm early on August 29, with winds of . Upon attaining peak intensity, Juliette developed an eye. However, Juliette began to weaken over cooler water. Meanwhile, the trough weakened and Tropical Storm Juliette headed west. On August 30, the EPHC remarked that Juliette was downgraded into a depression. Two days later, Tropical Depression Juliette had dissipated over cold water.
Tropical Depression Two-C
A disturbance in the ITCZ developed a circulation on August 29 and organized into a tropical depression two days later. Traveling west-northwest, Two-C was initially in a favorable environment, and was thus expected to become a tropical storm. However, it soon encountered a trough and dry air, which arrested development. It crossed the international dateline on September 1 and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...
began issuing advisories on the system. The depression gradually weakened and dissipated on September 8. Its remnants lingered near the Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...
for a few more days.[
]
Hurricane Kiko
Hurricane Kiko originated from a tropical disturbance that crossed Central America on August 26 and 27. After emerging into the Pacific, the disturbance moved steadily westward. At 0600 UTC on August 31, the EPHC classified the system as a tropical depression about south of Salina Cruz
Salina Cruz is a major seaport on the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is the state's third-largest city and is the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name.
It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the I ...
. A well-developed ridge was centered over New Mexico and was moving southward, causing light wind shear over the system. At 1800 UTC on August 31, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Kiko. Initially expected to turn west and head out to sea, the storm moved northwest while paralleling the Mexican coast. Early on September 1, Kiko began to explosively deepen, and by 1800 UTC, it intensified into a Category 3 hurricane on the SSHWS, bypassing both Category 1 and 2 status. Six hours later, the EPHC reported that Kiko had intensified into a low-end Category 4. After remaining at this intensity for 30 hours, the hurricane resumed intensification, attaining its peak intensity of 145 mph (230 km/h) late on September 3 about west of Lázaro Cárdenas
Lázaro Cárdenas del Río (; 21 May 1895 – 19 October 1970) was a Mexican army officer and politician who served as president of Mexico from 1934 to 1940.
Born in Jiquilpan, Michoacán, to a working-class family, Cárdenas joined the M ...
.
Shortly after its peak, a combination of cooler waters and increased wind shear associated with the subtropical jetstream
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow, meandering air currents in the atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. On Earth, the main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are westerly winds (flowing west to east) ...
resulted in rapid weakening. Hurricane Kiko was soon downgraded to Category 3 status on the SSHWS, before briefly re-intensifying on September 4. That day, Kiko resumed weakening and was downgraded to a Category 2 as the storm turned west-northwest away from the Mexican coast. On September 5, the storm was downgraded into a Category 1 system; by this time, the EPHC revised their forecast and expected the storm to accelerate and approach Baja California. On September 7, Kiko weakened into a tropical storm. Subsequently, the system turned north and was downgraded to a tropical depression the next day. Now devoid of convection, Kiko dissipated early on September 9 about west-southwest of Baja California.
The outer rainbands of Hurricane Kiko caused considerable damage to homes and hotels situated near the coast of Mexico, forcing the evacuation of hundreds. The resorts of Tecomán
Tecomán is a city and seat of the municipality of Tecomán in the Mexican state of Colima
Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the 32 Fe ...
and Manzanillo were the worst hit by the storm. Outside of Colima, however, little damage was reported. Kiko brought high clouds to the extreme southwestern portion of the Baja California Peninsula for four days. While at sea, Hurricane Kiko was responsible for waves along Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...
, resulting in more than 100 lifeguard rescues. As a weakening tropical system, Kiko brought subtropical moisture and high clouds to California.
Hurricane Lorena
Towards the end of the first week of September, the next cyclone of the season was starting to form south of the Mexican coast. A disturbance moved westward and was classified as a tropical depression about south of Acapulco early on September 6. Like Kiko, the storm deepened rapidly, and was upgraded into a tropical storm at 1800 UTC that day. Initially moving very slowly, the storm made a sharp turn northwest, parallel to the coast of Mexico. Accelerating, a poorly defined eye first became visible on satellite imagery around 1500 UTC on September 7. The EPHC upgraded Lorena into a hurricane three hours later. Early the next day, Lorena intensified into a Category 2 hurricane. At 1200 UTC on September 8, Lorena attained winds of a Category 3 hurricane on the SSHWS; simultaneously, the storm reached its peak intensity, with winds of .
After maintaining peak intensity for six hours, Lorena began to weaken over cooler waters. Very early on September 9, the EPHC downgraded Lorena weakened into a Category 1 hurricane; the storm was expected to emerge into the southern Gulf of California
The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...
in about 48 hours and thereafter meander. However, this did not occur. Meanwhile, Lorena was re-upgraded into a Category 2 hurricane, an intensity of which it held on to for 12 hours. After briefly weakening back to a Category 1 hurricane, Lorena moved west-northwest and into a low wind shear environment. Subsequently, Lorena attained its secondary peak with winds of while passing about south of Cabo San Lucas. However, cooler water began to take its toll on the storm and on September 12, the storm was downgraded into a Category 1. Later that day, Lorena weakened into a tropical storm due to a combination of strong shear and cold sea surface temperatures. Midday on September 13, the EPHC downgraded the system into a tropical depression. Furthermore, the system dissipated 18 hours later. At the time of dissipation, Lorena was centered about west-southwest of San Diego.
Hurricane Lorena brought rough surf and squally weather to much of the coast of Mexico, particularly Manzanillo. Furthermore, it was also responsible for $33,000 in damage to Acapulco. Seven people died due to flooding. Four ships drowned in the storm; as a result, many local ports were closed. In addition, a mudslide blocked a portion of the Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in to ...
.
Hurricane Manuel
A vigorous tropical disturbance was first noted on September 10 south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec. Despite the presence of wind shear, the EPHC upgraded system into a tropical depression at 0600 UTC on September 12 and a tropical storm at 1200 UTC that day while centered around south of Puerto Escondido. Manuel reached hurricane strength early on September 14. Several hours later, Manuel reached a secondary peak wind speed of . However, this trend was short lived, and very early on September 15, the storm's wind diminished to , only to reintensify again that evening. Early on September 16, Manuel turned towards the north while developing a small eye
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...
. Hurricane Manuel maintained winds of for a day before the EPHC upgraded Manuel into a Category 2 hurricane. On September 17, however, Manuel developed a much larger and well-defined eye; that afternoon; Manuel reaching its peak intensity of as a major hurricane.
The storm held onto major hurricane winds for 12 hours before subsequently weakening. At 0000 UTC on September 18, the eye collapsed as it began to encounter colder ocean temperatures. Manuel was intercepted by a Hurricane Hunter aircraft that day, which found no evidence of an eyewall, thus, Manuel was downgraded into a tropical storm about south of San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
. After turning north-northeast, Hurricane Hunters penetrated the storm for the second time, noting that the storm was a swirl of clouds. On September 19, the EPHC downgraded the system into a depression. The following day, Manuel made landfall along the eastern portion of Guadalupe Island before dissipating at 1200 UTC.
The remnants of Hurricane Manuel later brought rain to the southwestern United States. The outer rainbands of Manuel began to produce moisture over the region on September 18, and continued until September 21. In the mountains and deserts of California, the storm brought heavy rains across. A laboratory near Palm Springs
Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...
recorded a peak rainfall total of . A total 3,000 customers lost electricity in Porterville because of high winds, heavy rains, which led to minor damage. Numerous fires occurred in Kern County
Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield.
Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...
, but none of these fires caused major damage. Further east, in Arizona, isolated rain showers were reported, peaking at at the Alamo Dam
Alamo Lake State Park is a state park of Arizona, USA, centered on Alamo Lake, a flood control and recreational reservoir. The park is located in western Arizona about north of Wenden. It is accessed via a paved two-lane road off either U.S. ...
. Along the northern portion of Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
, Manuel brought showers and high waves. In all, impact from the storm was less than anticipated.
Tropical Storm Narda
Several hours after Manuel dissipated on September 20, a tropical disturbance formed south of Socorro Island. While situated south of a ridge, the disturbance started to deepen. After developing a circulation, the system was declared a tropical depression the morning of September 21. Later that morning, the EPHC upgraded the disturbance into a tropical storm. Narda held on to marginal tropical storm intensity for 36 hours before quickly intensifying, and by September 23, the storm had attained winds of . Thereafter, the storm turned west-northwest and weakened steadily after encountering cooler water. On September 26, the EPHC downgraded Narda into a depression. After accelerating, the storm entered the CPHC zone the next day.
Tropical Storm Narda then began to encounter slightly warmer waters, and thus began to restrengthen. At 1800 UTC on September 27, the CPHC announced that Narda had regained tropical storm strength. It quickly intensified and early on September 29, a Hurricane Hunter aircraft reported winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) and the formation of an eye. At this time, Narda was located about southeast of Hilo
Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...
. That evening, the storm start to show signs of weakening as it turned southwest away from the Hawaiian group. On September 30, however, Narda, with winds of , made its closest approach the Hawaii, passing south of South Point. After briefly intensifying on October 1, it suddenly dissipated hours later.
Because of data from tropical cyclone forecast model
A tropical cyclone forecast model is a computer program that uses meteorological data to forecast aspects of the future state of tropical cyclones. There are three types of models: statistical, dynamical, or combined statistical-dynamic. Dyna ...
s, which showed Narda passing very near the Hawaiian islands, and fears of a repeat of Hurricane Iwa
Hurricane Iwa, taken from the Hawaiian language name for the frigatebird (iwa, lit. "Thief"), was at the time the costliest hurricane to affect the state of Hawaii. Iwa was the twenty-third tropical storm and the twelfth and final hurricane of the ...
, a hurricane watch was posted for all the Hawaiian Islands at 0700 UTC on September 28. Gale warnings and high surf advisories were issued for the entire state. Officials urged many Hawaiians to complete preparations by the night of September 28.[ ][ ] Campers at coastal parks were also ordered by police to find shelter on higher ground. However, the hurricane watch was discontinued after Narda veered away on September 29. Meanwhile, gale warnings and high surf advisories were dropped that day for all islands except for the Big Island. The outer rainbands of Narda brought locally heavy rain to the state. Flooding was reported of eastern areas of the Big Island. Nine families were evacuated to shelters. Higher than normal surf was also observed on southeast and east facing beaches. Overall, damage from Narda was minor.
Tropical Storm Octave
A tropical disturbance formed south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec on September 23, which moved west for four days prior to attaining tropical depression status. Initially, the depression was situated over warm waters; however, wind shear subsequently increased in the vicinity of the storm. However, on September 28, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Octave. Six hours later, Octave attained its peak intensity of and decreased in forward speed while turning to the northeast. On September 30, began to weaken due to cooler waters and increasing vertical wind shear. At 1200 UTC on October 2, the EPHC issued their last advisory on the storm, as the surface circulation had dissipated.
Due to the threat for flooding, local flood warnings were issued for much of Arizona. In the end, the highest rainfall associated with Octave was at Mount Graham
Mount Graham (called in Nnee biyati' (Western Apache) Dził Nchaa Sí'an - ′Big Seated Mountain′) is a mountain in Graham County, Arizona, United States, approximately northeast of Tucson. The mountain reaches in height. It is the highes ...
. Throughout the state, excessive rainfall caused many rivers to overflow. The Santa Cruz, Rillito, and Gila rivers experienced their highest crests on record. Runoff from both the Rillito and Santa Cruz rivers flooded Marana Marana may refer to:
* Maraña, a village in León, Spain
* Maraṇa, the Pali/Sanskrit term for death
* Marana, Arizona, a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States
* Marana, Estonia, a village in Estonia
* Marana, Syria, a village in Syria
...
. Major flooding was reported along the Gila River, and two of its tributaries, the San Francisco River and the San Pedro River. These rains devastated Clifton along the San Francisco River valley. Over 700 homes were destroyed in Clifton. Further south along the Gila River, major flooding was reported in extreme southeastern Arizona. Willcox was nearly flooded.[ ] Further west, in Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
, 150 people were evacuated from an apartment complex.[ ] Throughout the greater Phoenix area, eight fires were started via lighting.
Tropical Storm Octave was considered the worst flood in Pima County history. Octave is also regarded as the worst tropical system to affect Arizona. Around 3,000 buildings were damaged due to Octave. A total of 853 structures were destroyed by Octave while 2,052 others were damaged. About 10,000 people were temporarily displaced. Damage in Arizona totaled $500 million. Fourteen people drowned and 975 persons were injured. Elsewhere, in New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
, a peak total of of rain was recorded, resulting in flooding. New Mexico governor Toney Anaya
Toney Anaya (born April 29, 1941) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 26th governor of New Mexico from 1983 to 1987.
Early life and career
Anaya was born on in Moriarty, New Mexico. He earned a Bacheor of Arts degree from ...
declared a state of emergency in Catron County. Damage in New Mexico was estimated at $12.5 million.[ ] In Mexico, of rain was reported in Altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
. In Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
, many roads were closed.[ ] On October 3, Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt
The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...
declared a state of emergency. President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
declared eight Arizona counties a "major disaster area" on October 5.
Hurricane Priscilla
While Tropical Storm Octave was still active, a tropical disturbance formed on September 29 near Clipperton Island. The disturbance moved northwest, and was upgraded into a depression at 1800 UTC. While moving beneath the southwest side of a ridge, Priscilla steadily intensified. Early on October 3, Priscilla was upgraded into a hurricane. After remaining a Category 1 hurricane for most of the day, it was upgraded into a Category 2 hurricane that evening, and subsequently, began to rapidly intensify. At 0000 UTC on October 4, about 24 hours after first becoming a hurricane, Priscilla was upgraded into a major hurricane, with winds of . While at peak, which it held on for 12 hours, Priscilla displayed a well-defined eye. Additionally, the hurricane began a sharp turn to the north-northwest due to a strong trough off the Southern California coast and the storm was initially expected to move onshore Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
and bring flooding rains to Arizona.
Shortly after its peak, Priscilla began to encounter cooler waters and thus it start to slowly lose strength. During the pre-dawn hours of October 5, Priscilla weakened into a Category 2. Later that day, it was downgraded into a Category 1 system. By 0000 UTC on October 6, the EPHC downgraded the system into a tropical storm. By this time, it was anticipated that the system would make landfall as a tropical system on California. Quickly weakening, Priscilla was downgraded into a depression that day. Early on October 7, Priscilla dissipated about southwest of Guadalupe Island
Guadalupe Island ( es, Isla Guadalupe, link=no) is a volcanic island located off the western coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula and about southwest of the city of Ensenada in the state of Baja California, in the Pacific Ocean. The ...
.
Due to the storm's threat to California, flash flood watches were issued for much of the southern portion of the state. In Arizona, heavy equipment was evacuated from flood-prone areas.[ ] Along the central Baja California peninsula, showers were reported. While still a Category 2 hurricane, the outer rainbands of Priscilla brought rains to California, resulting in power outages, hail, and traffic accidents. In Los Angeles, a daily rainfall record was set.[ ] Some streets in Anaheim
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
and Santa Ana were flooded. The roof of a church was also damaged. Consequently, flash flood warnings were posted for parts of Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, Riverside
Riverside may refer to:
Places Australia
* Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania
Canada
* Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon
* Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta
* Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...
, and San Bernardino Counties.[ ] Offshore, rough seas were generated. Across northwestern Arizona and Nevada, heavy showers and thunderstorms occurred. The remnants of the storm moved over the area on October 7. Rainfall totals were less than expected and most weather stations recorded less than of precipitation. A peak total of was measured in Ely Ely or ELY may refer to:
Places Ireland
* Éile, a medieval kingdom commonly anglicised Ely
* Ely Place, Dublin, a street
United Kingdom
* Ely, Cambridgeshire, a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England
** Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral, formal ...
.
Hurricane Raymond
A tropical wave crossed Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
on October 5, moving westward. A ridge center
was over Mexico and a well-developed ridge extended westward towards the Hawaiian Islands. Despite the presence of strong wind shear, it was upgraded to a tropical depression south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas on October 8. The depression moved over waters, intensifying into Tropical Storm Raymond on October 9. Intensifying quickly, Raymond attained hurricane status on October 10. Hurricane Raymond subsequently developed a small but distinct eye. Rapidly intensifying, the storm rapidly moved west. Raymond was upgraded into a major hurricane late on October 10. Raymond reached its peak winds of as a moderate Category 4 hurricane roughly 24 hours after becoming a hurricane. At the time of its peak, the hurricane was located about south of San Diego. Raymond is believed to have held on to peak intensity for almost two days.
The hurricane subsequently weakened and was only a Category 2 by October 13, but it re-intensified over the next few days. With continued warm waters, the system crossed into the CPHC warning zone, reaching a secondary peak of on October 14 while becoming one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the region. By then, Raymond had begun a movement to the northwest. The eye later became poorly defined while the symmetric shape of the hurricane became elongated. The Hurricane Hunters confirmed the weakening trend, reporting a pressure of . Hurricane Raymond weakened to a tropical storm on October 16 as wind shear took its toll on the storm. Meanwhile, the storm drifted northwest and underwent several loops. Two days later the storm resumed its westward motion as it weakened to a tropical depression. It became devoid of deep convection, and made landfall on Molokai
Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...
on October 20 while still tropical depression. Shortly thereafter, Raymond dissipated inland.
Because meteorologist
A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...
s were predicting that the storm may pose a threat to the Hawaiian island group, the CPHC issued a hurricane watch for Hawaii. A high-surf advisory also was issued. As Raymond approached Hawaii, the cyclone kicked up very high surfs that pounded the big island. On the east end of the Hawaiian Island chain was battered by waves. In addition, Raymond brought beneficial rains and gusty winds on all islands. Precipitation ranged from on Maui
The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
. There was one casualty when a sailor, Richard Sharp, was killed overboard off the yacht "Hazaña"; the boat, which was dismasted, was traveling with his girlfriend, Tami Oldham Ashcraft, from Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
to San Diego, but the course was altered to Hawaii because of the storm.
Tropical Storm Sonia
Situated several hundred miles west of Hurricane Raymond, a tropical disturbance formed on October 8. Moving west-northwest, the disturbance was upgraded into a tropical depression on October 9. After moving west-northwest for 12 hours, it turned west. Despite warm waters, strong westerly wind shear prevented much further development. On October 10, the EPHC upgraded Sonia into a tropical storm. That day, Sonia reached its peak intensity of 45 mph (70 km/h). However, this was short-lived as the thunderstorm activity quickly became displaced from the center. At 0000 UTC on October 11, Sonia weakened into a tropical depression. About 24 hours later, Sonia weakened into a tropical disturbance after it failed to maintain a closed circulation. Thereafter, the storm entered the CPHC's warning zone, where it began to encounter warmer waters and lighter wind shear, and thus began to deepen. On October 13, Sonia regained tropical storm intensity and briefly posed a threat to Hawaii. Despite remaining small and disorganized, Sonia reached its peak intensity of 45 mph (70 km/h) for a second time that evening. However, outflow from Hurricane Raymond weakened the system and Sonia dissipated on October 14 over south-southeast of the Big Island.
Hurricane Tico
The origins of Hurricane Tico were from a weak tropical disturbance that crossed Costa Rica into the Pacific Ocean on October 7. Over warm waters, the system was sufficiently organized to be declared Tropical Depression Twenty-One on October 11, about south of Acapulco
Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...
. On October 12 it turned sharply northward; the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Tico on October 13. Tropical Storm Tico continued to intensify. Two days after becoming a tropical storm, Tico strengthened further to attain hurricane status. By October 16, Tico had reached major hurricane status. Early on October 19, it reached peak winds of 130 mph (215 km/h). It weakened slightly as it approached the coast, and at about 1500 UTC that day Tico made landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
near Mazatlán
Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding ''municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of ...
with winds of 125 mph (205 km/h). It rapidly weakened over land and merged with a cold front
A cold front is the leading edge of a cooler mass of air at ground level that replaces a warmer mass of air and lies within a pronounced surface trough of low pressure. It often forms behind an extratropical cyclone (to the west in the Norther ...
. The remnants of Tico were last observed on October 24 over Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
.
Moderate rainfall was reported around the landfall location, peaking at 8.98 in (228 mm) in Pueblo Nuevo, Durango
Pueblo Nuevo is a village in Pueblo Nuevo Municipality, Durango
Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 st ...
; lighter precipitation of 1–3 in (25–75 mm) occurred further inland toward the Mexico/United States border. Two 328 ft (100 m) anchored ships were washed aground by strong waves and swells, with a total of seven ships reported missing. Overall, the hurricane sank nine small ships, and nine fishermen were killed. Hurricane Tico was responsible severe flooding and heavy damage due to strong winds. Throughout the state of Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...
, the hurricane destroyed nearly 19,000 acres (77 km2) of bean and corn, although most of the agricultural damage occurred south of Mazatlán. In addition, the hurricane disrupted the flow of drinking water. A total of 13 hotels received extensive damage and 14 people were hurt. Twenty-five thousand people were left homeless and damage throughout the country was estimated at $200 million (1983 USD). Hurricane Tico caused a total of 135 deaths in Mexico.
Rain from Tico continued into the South-Central United States; serious flooding was reported along the lower Washita River
The Washita River () is a river in the states of Texas and Oklahoma in the United States. The river is long and terminates at its confluence with the Red River, which is now part of Lake Texoma () on the TexasOklahoma border.
Geography
The ...
. Across Guthire, 5% of the town's population, sought three emergency shelter
Shelter is a small building giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger.
Shelter may also refer to:
Places
* Port Shelter, Hong Kong
* Shelter Bay (disambiguation), various locations
* Shelter Cove (disambiguation), various locatio ...
due to deep water. Throughout Oklahoma and Texas, 200 people were displaced and six people were killed. A total of $77 million in crop damage occurred in Oklahoma. Total damage in the state was estimated at $84 million. Elsewhere, one person was killed in the Kansas.
Tropical Depression Twenty-Two
On October 18, a tropical disturbance was noted about south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec
Gulf of Tehuantepec () is a large body of water on the Pacific coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, southeastern Mexico, at . Many (but not all) Pacific hurricanes form in or near this body of water. A strong, gale-force wind called the Tehuan ...
. Moving west-northwest, the disturbance was upgraded into a depression. After turning northwest, the depression dissipated an hour before moving ashore. Lasting less than 24 hours, Twenty-Two was the shortest-lived storm of the season. Despite the lack of damage, of rain was measured along portions of the Southern Mexico coast due to the depression.
Tropical Storm Velma
A tropical disturbance developed within the ITCZ during October 31. Despite unfavorable conditions, the system began to organize, and became Tropical Depression Twenty-Three on November 1. It quickly intensified, and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Velma six hours later. No further intensification occurred; Velma peaked as a minimal tropical storm. The tropical storm began to weaken after 18 hours, and was downgraded to a tropical depression on November 2. The following day, the EPHC issued the final advisory on Tropical Depression Velma.[
]
Hurricane Winnie
Due to a combination of unusually warm sea surface temperatures and the displacement of the ITCZ to north, a small area of disturbed weather formed in early December. Situated south-southwest of Acapulco, the disturbance organized into a tropical depression on December 4. It slowly headed north, and intensified into a tropical storm. Winnie peaked in intensity on December 6, and became the strongest Pacific hurricane in December since records began.. Initially expected to continue north, the storm stalled instead. Due to wind shear caused by a trough, Winnie began to rapidly deteriorate, and it was downgraded into a tropical storm that night. After weakening further into a depression, Winnie dissipated on December 7. Its remnant disturbance then moved west. Winnie was an out of season storm, and is the only known December tropical cyclone in the east Pacific proper since the modern record began in 1949. Winnie is the latest hurricane on record in the eastern North Pacific.
Although the tropical cyclone never made landfall, it caused rain in parts of Mexico. The highest total of was recorded in Caleta de Campos.[ Furthermore, the storm brought strong winds to the region,] but damage was less than expected.
Storm names
The following names were used for named storms that formed in the eastern Pacific in 1983. All the names on the list were used this year. No names were retired, so it was used again in the 1989 season. This was the first time most of these names were used since the modern lists began, except for the name Priscilla which was previously used in the old four-year lists. No central Pacific names were used; the first name used would have been Keli.
See also
* List of Pacific hurricanes
This is a list of notable Pacific hurricanes, subdivided by reason for notability. Notability means that it has met some criterion or achieved some statistic, or is part of a top ten for some superlative. It includes lists and rankings of Pacific ...
* Pacific hurricane season
A Pacific hurricane is a mature tropical cyclone that develops within the northeastern and central Pacific Ocean to the east of 180°W, north of the equator. For tropical cyclone warning purposes, the northern Pacific is divided into three regio ...
* 1983 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1983 Atlantic hurricane season was the least active Atlantic hurricane season since 1930. The season officially began on June 1, 1983, and lasted until November 30, 1983. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most ...
* 1983 Pacific typhoon season
The 1983 Pacific typhoon season was the latest start for a Pacific typhoon season on record. It has no official bounds, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November. These dates conventionally ...
* 1983 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
The 1983 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was part of the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The season has no official bounds but cyclones tend to form between April and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each yea ...
* Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons: 1982–83, 1983–84
References
External links
Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclones of 1983
CPHC Season Summary
CPHC archive
accessed November 15, 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:1983 Pacific Hurricane Season
Pacific hurricane seasons
1983 EPAC