A Hyperactive 2018 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season Ends

https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Hyperactive-2018-Eastern-Pacific-Hurricane-Season-Ends

Dr. Jeff Masters · November 28, 2018, 11:49 AM EST

The 2018 Eastern Pacific hurricane season, which officially ends on November 30, is in the books as the most active on record for accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), with 316.3 units, according to data from Colorado State University. This tops the previous record of 295.2 units in 1992. Reliable data extends back to 1971, the start of the satellite era. ACE is proportional to the square of a named storm’s maximum wind speed summed up over the length of time the storm exists as a tropical storm or hurricane, and is a good measure of destructive potential.

The 2018 season was hyperactive by virtually any measure, with 23 named storms, 13 hurricanes, and 10 intense hurricanes. This is well above the 1981 – 2010 averages of 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes, and 3 intense hurricanes, and not far from the all-time records of 27 named storms (set in 1992), 16 hurricanes (set in 2015, 2014, and 1992), and 11 intense hurricanes (set in 2015).

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The 2018 Eastern Pacific season also had a remarkable 35 major (Category 3+) hurricane days, shattering the old seasonal record of 24 major hurricane days set in 2015. Three Category 5 hurricanes with 160 mph winds formed in the Eastern Pacific in 2018: Willa, Lane, and Walaka. This ties the record set in 1994 and 2002 for most Cat 5s in one year in the basin. One other Eastern Pacific hurricane, Hector, topped out as a high-end Category 4 storm with 155 mph winds, and has a shot at getting upgraded to Cat 5 status in post-season analysis.

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This year continued the pattern of unprecedented tropical cyclone activity that the Hawaiian Islands has experienced since 2014. Prior to Olivia's landfall this year, only four named systems had made landfall in Hawaii:

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As defined by NHC, landfall requires the center of a tropical cyclone to pass over land. Other hurricanes and tropical storms, most notably Iwa in 1992, have caused significant damage without making landfall. It’s worth noting that four of the six landfalls now on the books for Hawaii (counting the two from Olivia) have occurred in just the last five years! (A 2016 modeling study and another 2018 study found that we could expect to see an increase in hurricanes near Hawaii in coming decades due to climate change; see also Jeff Masters' August 2014 post, Climate Change May Increase the Number of Hawaiian Hurricanes.)

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tags: severe weather, extreme weather