1962 Pacific hurricane season
| 1962 Pacific hurricane season |
Season summary map
|
| Seasonal boundaries |
| First system formed |
June 24, 1962 |
| Last system dissipated |
October 5, 1962 |
| Strongest storm |
|
| Name |
Doreen |
| • Maximum winds |
85 mph (140 km/h)
(1-minute sustained) |
| Seasonal statistics |
| Total depressions |
18 |
| Total storms |
16 |
| Hurricanes |
2 |
| Total fatalities |
Unknown |
| Total damage |
$11 million (1962 USD) |
| Related articles |
|
|
Pacific hurricane seasons
1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964
|
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
June 24 – June 25 |
| Peak intensity |
85 mph (140 km/h) (1-min) 1003 mbar (hPa) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
July 8 – July 10 |
| Peak intensity |
50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min) 1008 mbar (hPa) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 16 – August 20 |
| Peak intensity |
50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min) 1002 mbar (hPa) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 20 – August 22 |
| Peak intensity |
50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min) 1002 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 24 – September 2 |
| Peak intensity |
75 mph (120 km/h) (1-min) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
September 2 – September 6 |
| Peak intensity |
50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min) 986 mbar (hPa) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
September 20 – September 24 |
| Peak intensity |
50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min) 990 mbar (hPa) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
September 25 – September 30 |
| Peak intensity |
50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min) 1001 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
October 1 – October 5 |
| Peak intensity |
85 mph (140 km/h) (1-min) 980 mbar (hPa) |
The 1962 Pacific hurricane season was a moderately active Pacific hurricane season that included two hurricane landfalls. The 1962 Pacific hurricane season officially started on May 15, 1962 in the eastern Pacific and June 1, 1962 in the Central Pacific Hurricane Center's area of responsibility and lasted until November 30, 1962 in both regions. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
The first of two hurricane landfalls, Hurricane Valerie, struck northwestern Mexico in June. The other, Hurricane Doreen, hit further to the north of Valerie in October. The most impacting storm of the season was Tropical Storm Claudia, after its remnants dropped heavy rainfall in portions of Arizona. The rainfall left damaging flooding across rivers and towns. No people were killed, but damage totaled to $11 million (1962 USD). Moreover, Tropical Storm Bernie also made landfall along the Baja California peninsula, later providing rain to Arizona. An unusually high number of storms threatened the Palmyra Atoll, where only 1% of known Pacific tropical cyclones have threatened. In all, a total of 16 storms were observed, which was above average though only two (Valerie and Doreen) reached hurricane intensity.
With 16 named storms, the season was above the 1949-2006 average of 13 named storms and was the most active season ever recorded at that time; however, this record was broken in the 1968 Pacific hurricane season, which saw 18 storms. Despite the activity, only two hurricane were observed and no major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) were noted. These totals are well below their long-term averages of seven and three respectively. This season was part of a decade-long absence of major hurricanes; during the 1960s, only one major hurricane was observed and none were noted from 1960-66. However, it is possible that some storms were missed due to the lack of satellite coverage in the region; at that time, satellite data was still scarce, and 1962 is still four years shy of the start of the geostationary satellite era, which began in 1966. Moreover, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) was in the midst of a cold phase during this time period, which has a tendency to suppress Pacific hurricane activity. During the season, tropical cyclone advisories were issued by the Naval Fleet Warning Central (NFWC) in Alameda, which held responsibility for the basin until 1970.
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Wikipedia
