Tropical Storm Iva (1968)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 1968 Pacific hurricane season ties the record for having the most active August in terms of
tropical storms A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
. It officially started on May 15, 1968, in the eastern Pacific and June 1 in the central Pacific and lasted until November 30, 1968. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
s form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Several notable systems formed during the season. Five named storms—Hyacinth, Iva, Liza,
Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (born 1977 ...
, and Pauline—had effects in the United States. Two others—Annette and Tropical Depression Two—affected Mexico, and Tropical Storm Simone made a rare landfall on
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
. Tropical Storm Virginia, which formed in the West Pacific, crossed into the basin at a high latitude. __TOC__


Season summary

Twenty-five tropical cyclones formed this season, resulting in 501 advisories being issued in the Eastern Pacific (east of 140°W), and 30 being issued for the Central Pacific (between 140°W and the
International Date Line The International Date Line (IDL) is the line extending between the South and North Poles that is the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180.0° line of longitude and de ...
), both records at the time. Of these, six remained depressions, thirteen peaked as tropical storms, and six reached hurricane strength. There were no major hurricanes this season. Many of the tropical cyclones this season – including all six hurricanes – formed from
Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ , or ICZ), 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 t ...
(ITCZ) disturbances. Eight tropical storms formed in August this year, a record for the most active August in the East Pacific, excluding Virginia. The eight named storms forming in August this year also made it the most tropical storms to ever form in a month in the East Pacific since
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
. However, this record was tied during the
2009 Pacific hurricane season The 2009 Pacific hurricane season was the most active Pacific hurricane season since 1997 Pacific hurricane season, 1997. The season officially started on May 15 in the East Pacific Ocean, and on June 1 in the Central Pacific; they both ended on ...
. Because of a lack of
Hurricane Hunter Hurricane hunters, typhoon hunters, or cyclone hunters are aircrews that fly into tropical cyclones to gather weather data. In the United States, the organizations that fly these missions are the United States Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather ...
data, a majority of the intensity readings from this season were later removed from the best track file. Only one pressure reading from this season – a reading taken from Hurricane Pauline on October 29 when it was a tropical depression – was left on the best track data, although a pressure of taken from Tropical Storm Simone was used to set its peak intensity.


Systems


Tropical Storm Annette

Even though the ''James Lykes'' noted that an area of disturbed weather south of the Pacific coast of Mexico was poorly organized, it reported south-southwest winds of on June 20. It 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 ...
and dissipated near Manzanillo on June 22. The satellite that was orbiting over Annette never took a picture with the storm in view since the storm was usually at the edge of the satellite. A computerized
mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...
showed a spiral
vortex In fluid dynamics, a vortex (: vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in th ...
with the
center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
over land, which was unhelpful in tracking the storm because ship reports noted that the circulation was over water. Damage, if any, is not known.


Tropical Storm Bonny

The first of a large group of tropical cyclones that developed from ITCZ disturbances this season, a low pressure center in the ITCZ rapidly developed late on July 3. Becoming a tropical storm on July 4, the storm received the name ''Bonny''. The newly named storm tracked west-northwest for 24 hours before turning to the north overnight on July 5 into July 6. As a result, winds of were measured on
Socorro Island Socorro Island () is a volcanic island in the Revillagigedo Islands, a Mexican possession lying off the country's western coast. The size is , with an area of . It is the largest of the four islands of the Revillagigedo Archipelago. The last e ...
, which was located to the east-northeast of the storm's center. At this time, satellites revealed that cooler
sea surface temperatures Sea surface temperature (or ocean surface temperature) is the ocean temperature, temperature of ocean water close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies in the literature and in practice. It is usually between and below the sea ...
and stratus inflow were starting to take their toll on Bonny. The storm began a slow dissipation and, by the time a nearby ship reported the status of the weakening storm, the system had already dropped to depression strength with winds. The storm dissipated on July 9. The remnant low of Bonny had no
kinetic energy In physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the form of energy that it possesses due to its motion. In classical mechanics, the kinetic energy of a non-rotating object of mass ''m'' traveling at a speed ''v'' is \fracmv^2.Resnick, Rober ...
, causing the forecasters to note that it had a ragged appearance on
satellite imagery Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell im ...
.


Tropical Storm Celeste

The disturbance that became Celeste was first noticed by 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 ...
on July 13. The disturbance slowly intensified, becoming a tropical depression on July 14 and reaching storm strength on the next day. The intensity when the system was named was , but in post-season analysis the storm's peak wind speed was downgraded into . This difference in intensity was blamed on brightness issues on the photo taken by satellite, making the storm look more powerful than it really was. The storm never strengthened past the peak it had reached when it became a storm. The storm would continue uneventfully until July 17, when stratus inflow was starting to become entrained in the
atmospheric circulation Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale movement of Atmosphere of Earth, air and together with ocean circulation is the means by which thermal energy is redistributed on the surface of the Earth. The Earth's atmospheric circulation varies fro ...
and, shortly after peaking, the storm began to weaken after strong inflow of cool air to the northwest. The weakening Celeste became less discernible in
recon In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconna ...
reports, but the cloud
vortex In fluid dynamics, a vortex (: vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in th ...
was still well defined. On July 20, the storm was downgraded into a depression and dissipated 24 hours afterward.


Tropical Storm Diana

While Celeste was weakening, a tropical disturbance associated with the ITCZ first appeared on July 19. After Celeste lost its tropical identity on July 21, the former had strengthened enough to be upgraded to tropical storm strength and was given the name "Diana". The banding in the
center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
of the upgraded system was obscured by heavy cirrus
outflow Outflow may refer to: *Capital outflow, the capital leaving a particular economy *Bipolar outflow, in astronomy, two continuous flows of gas from the poles of a star * Outflow (hydrology), the discharge of a lake or other reservoir system *Outflow ...
. The initial intensity set was . The ''Anco Swan'', a ship north of Tropical Storm Diana, indicated that the tropical storm had reached its peak intensity around this time, which was maintained for two days. Then, cool inflow had become elongated in the storm, resulting in weakening. The storm degenerated into a depression on July 24 and continued moving westward. The depression finally dissipated on July 26, well away from land.


Tropical Storm Estelle

Estelle was a tropical storm that spent most of its life as a depression as a result of a southward shift in trade winds and the ITCZ, which provoked an early weakening and prevented re-intensification. The storm originated in a disturbance associated with the ITCZ. The disturbance had become a tropical depression on July 23 and reached storm strength the next day. The new tropical storm maintain a intensity for only 30 hours, when it weakened back to a depression. The weakened Estelle continued westward, passing into the Central Pacific around July 31. The group that oversaw the Central Pacific at the time – the Joint Hurricane Warning Center – issued the depression's final advisory on August 1. Tropical Storm Estelle was notable in that it had advisories issued on it in the Central Pacific despite never actually crossing into the
area of responsibility Area of responsibility (AOR) is a pre-defined geographic region assigned to Combatant commanders of the Unified Command Plan (UCP), that are used to define an area with specific geographic boundaries where they have the authority to plan and c ...
. It dissipated at a
longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...
of 139.6°W, whereas the Central Pacific begins at 140°W. However, last operational advisory centered the storm at 141.6°W.


Hurricane Fernanda

The trade winds that had resulted in the weakening of Estelle in late July had decreased in early August, allowing a weak disturbance in the ITCZ to organize near
Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...
. By August 5, the disturbance had developed a vortex and advisories were started on the newly formed depression. The depression would continue to strengthen and, after acquiring significant cirrus outflow, was upgraded to tropical storm intensity on August 6. Fernanda continued to develop, despite the proximity of Tropical Storm Gwen, which was to the east-northeast of the center. On August 8, the storm had developed an
eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...
in a tightly wound spiral
overcast Overcast or overcast weather, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization, is the meteorological condition of clouds obscuring at least 95% of the sky. However, the total cloud cover must not be entirely due to obscuring phenomena near ...
and became a hurricane while moving westward. Cool
inflow Inflow may refer to: * Inflow (hydrology), the water entering a body of water * Inflow (meteorology) Inflow is the flow of a fluid into a large collection of that fluid. Within meteorology, inflow normally refers to the influx of warmth and mo ...
began to get trapped in the circulation, causing the hurricane to weaken to a storm on August 9, but due to the hurricane moving over warmer water, it was not enough to begin dissipation alone. The feeder bands, which helped the hurricane to reach its peak intensity, continued to persist over warm water until August 11, when the cirrus cap over Fernanda became uncoupled to the east, thus exposing the west side of the storm. Plane reports showed the hurricane had moved under westerly winds in the troposphere, which resulted in the storm weakening to a depression on August 13. Shower activity from the hurricane continued diminishing until August 14, and, early on August 15, Fernanda dissipated, having never affected land.


Tropical Storm Gwen

The ITCZ-based depression which developed into Gwen was first noted on August 5 while south of
Tehuantepec Tehuantepec (, in full, Santo Domingo Tehuantepec) is a city and municipality in the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region. The area was important in pre-Hispanic per ...
. Although a ship in the region reported winds and waves, a satellite picture revealed a cloud mass of amorphous quality. Although a little
vortex In fluid dynamics, a vortex (: vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in th ...
in the region was visible, the system would show little development for 48 hours until, on August 7, stronger rotation and outflow were apparent in
satellite imagery Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell im ...
. The next day, a ship north of the
center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
reported waves and winds. Data based on satellite images, and the ship report, were enough to upgrade the system to Tropical Storm Gwen. Around this time, the track of the newly named system was being affected by the stronger Fernanda to its west via
Fujiwhara effect The Fujiwhara effect, sometimes referred to as the Fujiwara effect, Fujiwara interaction or binary interaction, is a phenomenon that occurs when two nearby cyclonic vortices move around each other and close the distance between the circulations o ...
. Shortly thereafter, satellite photos showed an exposed atmospheric circulation in the northwest section of the storm with cloud cover lagging behind it, and the storm was downgraded to a depression on August 8. The circulation was completely exposed by the next day, and Gwen dissipated. The remnants of Gwen continued to interact with Fernanda until complete dissipation.


Tropical Storm Hyacinth

The origins of Hyacinth were linked to 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 (meteorology), trough of Low-pressure area, low pressure. It often forms behind an extratropica ...
that was over Texas on August 11. There was no activity associated with the disturbance until August 16, when a circular overcast broke away from the front. The overcast breaking away was related to a newly formed low, which moved north-northwest while rapidly intensifying, becoming a tropical storm on August 17. Hyacinth continued to move north-northwestward, entering the mouth of the
Gulf of California The Gulf of California (), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Vermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja California peninsula from ...
later that day, and a ship reported a barometric pressure of . Another ship report, showing winds of , was received at the same time. The storm passed east of
La Paz, Baja California Sur La Paz (, ) is the capital and largest city of the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Baja California Sur, with a 2020 census population of 250,141 inhabitants, making it the most populous city in the state. La Paz City is located in La ...
, on August 18, and the next day, it made landfall near
Los Mochis, Sinaloa Los Mochis () is a coastal city in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. It serves as the municipal seat of the municipality of Ahome. As of the 2010 census, the population was 362,613, which was 61 percent of the municipality's population. Los Mochis is t ...
. The clouds associated with the storm were tracked into the southwestern United States, causing showers and thunderstorms over
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
,
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
, and
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
on August 20. The storm dissipated on August 21. No deaths were reported in connection to Hyacinth, and damage from Mexico is unknown.


Tropical Storm Iva

While the moisture and clouds associated with Hyacinth moved northward, an area of rain-producing clouds along the ITCZ stretched from the
Gulf of Tehuantepec The 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 T ...
to
Clipperton Island Clipperton Island ( ; ), also known as Clipperton Atoll and previously as Clipperton's Rock, is an uninhabited French coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The only French territory in the North Pacific, Clipperton is from Paris, France ...
. On August 20, two disturbances formed southwest of Mexico, the first was found via
satellite imagery Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell im ...
and the second was found by ship report. The disturbance further west developed into Tropical Storm Iva while the other disturbance ultimately became Hurricane Joanne. Ship reports on August 21 led to the disturbance to be upgraded into a tropical storm. However, in best track data, Iva was at depression strength throughout this date, becoming a tropical storm on August 22. Winds of up to were recorded north of the center, which had shifted to 13.5°N, 98.5°W. Despite the winds, a satellite photo of the storm showed poor organization. The storm intensified slowly while moving west-northwest at for the next 48 hours. On August 24, the storm passed south of Socorro Island, which reported winds of . By this time, the storm was moving northwestward at due to the influence of strengthening Hurricane Joanne. Later on August 24, a picture of Iva and Joanne showed that the cirrus cap over Iva was becoming separated from the circulation. The storm began weakening afterward, weakening to a depression on August 25 after moving over cool
sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature (or ocean surface temperature) is the ocean temperature, temperature of ocean water close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies in the literature and in practice. It is usually between and below the sea ...
s. The rain clouds associated with the weakening depression moved westward, producing rains for 12 hours until the storm dissipated early on August 26. Despite never making landfall while active, Iva was responsible for driving clouds and moisture inland, causing slight showers on August 26 in the area of
Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...
, which was away for the center of the storm. After slight rainfall in the morning, a 30% chance of precipitation and the possibility of
thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustics, acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorm ...
s linked to the remnants was predicted for the rest of the day.


Hurricane Joanne

The other disturbance associated with the ITCZ that also formed Iva, south of
Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Luke the Evangelist, Saint Luke Cape (geography), Cape"), also known simply as Cabo, is a Resort town, resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the Mexican Political divisions of Mexico, state of Baja ...
had a central pressure of reported by a ship passing through the center along with calm winds on August 23, with the depression becoming a tropical storm later that day. 18 hours after the report, the cyclone began rapid intensification, with hurricane-force winds being reported before the end of the day, along with another report of a central pressure of , but the storm did not officially reach hurricane strength until August 24. Around this time, the intensification of Joanne became a factor in the northwestward acceleration of Iva. On August 25, the hurricane had weakened to a storm, but on August 26, the storm was thought to have begun to re-intensify due to the presence of an
eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...
on satellite, but a ship nearby reported winds of only and . The storm weakened to a depression later that day, and ultimately dissipated on August 28, its remains being absorbed into the trade winds.


Tropical Storm Kathleen

Kathleen developed from an ITCZ disturbance that was first noticed on August 23 while south of the
Gulf of Tehuantepec The 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 T ...
. The disturbance moved to the west-northwest at . A lack of surface information prevented
Hurricane Hunter Hurricane hunters, typhoon hunters, or cyclone hunters are aircrews that fly into tropical cyclones to gather weather data. In the United States, the organizations that fly these missions are the United States Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather ...
investigation into the system until August 25, when the disturbance developed into Tropical Storm Kathleen. Reports of heavy rains and winds of were reported by ships from the
center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
of the storm at this time. Afterward, the storm moved westward, with verification of the intensity of the storm coming from the ship ''Denby Grange'' on August 28, which reported eastward winds of and a central pressure of while north of the center. The storm continued to move westward, weakening to a tropical depression on August 29. The depression continued, moving into the Central Pacific late on September 1, ultimately dissipating on September 3. Even though it was a long-lived storm, Tropical Storm Kathleen had little organization. Satellite pictures taken of the storm never showed more than a slight
vortex In fluid dynamics, a vortex (: vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in th ...
.


Tropical Storm Virginia

The only tropical storm this season to form in the West Pacific and move into the basin, it was first noticed on August 24, At this time, the
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
was located northwest of
Midway Atoll Midway Atoll (colloquialism, colloquial: Midway Islands; ; ) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the United States and is an Insular area#Unorganized unincorporated territories, unorganized and unincorpo ...
, just west of the
International Date Line The International Date Line (IDL) is the line extending between the South and North Poles that is the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180.0° line of longitude and de ...
. It was upgraded to tropical storm status that same day, becoming the 11th storm of the typhoon season. After a brief flare in intensity, the storm crossed the Date Line while generating sustained winds of . Within 24 hours after crossing, however, cold air entered the circulation, causing Virginia to be declared
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
on August 25 at 38°N Shortly before becoming doing so, it was estimated on best track that Virginia reached a minimum pressure of Moving towards the northeast, a ship called the ''Lica Maersk'' reported winds. Two more ship reports after the transition gave reported winds of on August 26 and on August 28, while the extratropical cyclone was over the
Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska ( Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the ...
. The extratropical remnants of Virginia finally dissipated while in the Gulf of Alaska at an unprecedented latitude of 52°N, which only one other storm has ever approached. Virginia formed at an unusually high latitude, first becoming tropical at 31°N and crossing into the Central Pacific at 35°N. Few tropical cyclones have ever reached such latitudes and only one named cyclone – Typhoon Sarah from the previous year – had ever done it. At that time, Tropical Storm Virginia held the record for the northernmost tropical storm formation in the Pacific basin.


Hurricane Liza

Hurricane Liza was a rapidly forming hurricane with an uncertain peak intensity. Forming suddenly from an area of the ITCZ on August 28, the hurricane quickly strengthened to reach a peak of on August 30, though there is a possibility that the hurricane topped out as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of . After reaching its peak, cool
inflow Inflow may refer to: * Inflow (hydrology), the water entering a body of water * Inflow (meteorology) Inflow is the flow of a fluid into a large collection of that fluid. Within meteorology, inflow normally refers to the influx of warmth and mo ...
caused the hurricane to begin to weaken. The hurricane was downgraded into a storm on September 2, despite a presentation that an observer remarked could mean that Liza was not even that strong. The hurricane continued to weaken, being downgraded into a tropical depression on September 4 and dissipating on September 6. Liza was responsible for causing slight flooding in
Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
, and clogging storm drains. Various Labor Day swimmers were also swept up by waves triggered by Liza. A total of 261 swimmers were reported swept in
Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...
and 47 in
Zuma Beach Zuma Beach is a county beach at 30000 Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu, California. One of the largest and most popular beaches in Los Angeles County, California, it is known for its long, wide sands and excellent surf. It consistently ran ...
; all of which were rescued. Near
Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Located in Southern California along the Pacific Ocean, this seaside resort city has a mild year-round climate, scenic coves, and environ ...
, three sundecks worth $5,000 (1968 US$) were ripped from their supports by the surf.


Tropical Storm Madeline

On August 28, satellite pictures picked up a
central dense overcast The central dense overcast, or CDO, of a tropical cyclone or strong subtropical cyclone is the large central area of thunderstorms surrounding its circulation center, caused by the formation of its eyewall. It can be round, angular, oval, or ir ...
spanning a distance of while located to the east-southeast of the newly upgraded Tropical Storm Liza. The cloud mass grew in size, but was still disorganized when it was photographed on August 29, and a ship nearby reported calm winds, wind waves were so not distinct that no direction of origin could be determined, and a swell of from an undetermined direction. The best track would eventually show that the system was a depression around this time. The same ship would later report a wind speed of from the north-northwest and a pressure estimate of was determined via satellite, leading to the system to be upgraded to storm strength. The next day, the cloud mass associated with Madeline was beginning to become less organized; the storm dissipated later on August 30. The only direct evidence to support the tropical storm status of the system was a ship report. It is unknown whether or not the report of tropical storm-force winds was a gust or a sustained wind.


Hurricane Naomi

Forming from a disturbance in the ITCZ on September 9, the storm rapidly intensified, becoming a hurricane shortly after being upgraded into a tropical storm. The hurricane eventually made a turn to the northeast, which took it to a landfall on
Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales. It is located in northwest Mexic ...
near the town of Punta Piaxtla. There were four Sinaloan casualties from the hurricane, and a worker in Texas was injured when the roof of a plant they were working at collapsed from accumulated rainfall due to the interaction between Naomi and a
frontal system A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For ins ...
over the
Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...
. The hurricane also was responsible for a panic involving the Lázaro Cardenás Dam, which was unfinished when the hurricane struck. Due in large part to the help of Automatic Picture Transmission technology, two towns downriver from the dam were saved when it was kept closed. A total of $16 million (1968 USD) in damages was reported from the hurricane in Sinaloa.


Tropical Storm Orla

On September 21, satellite photography showed a cloud mass in diameter and ship reports the next day showed a weak circulation that was producing showers, and there was uncertainty in the location of the
atmospheric circulation Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale movement of Atmosphere of Earth, air and together with ocean circulation is the means by which thermal energy is redistributed on the surface of the Earth. The Earth's atmospheric circulation varies fro ...
. Four hours later, it was found that external banding associated with the disturbance had increased and that its size had grown to , but any information on internal banding was unavailable, due to obscuring cirrus. On September 23, the disturbance was southeast of
Socorro Island Socorro Island () is a volcanic island in the Revillagigedo Islands, a Mexican possession lying off the country's western coast. The size is , with an area of . It is the largest of the four islands of the Revillagigedo Archipelago. The last e ...
, which reported a pressure drop of 5 mbar in 3 hours, which served as the basis for upgrading the disturbance to a tropical depression. Other information from Socorro included calm winds, low clouds, and a pressure of . Despite advisories on the depression starting on September 23, best track data showed that the disturbance had been a depression for the duration of the previous day. Later that day, the depression strengthened to a tropical storm with winds of . Three hours after first being named, Orla began showing signs of an eye, and winds were operationally upgraded to , though it was later found out that it never strengthened past . At this time, the area around the tropical storm was mostly clear due to a dry flow off of the mainland. A ship called the ''Sapporo Maru'' passed north of the center reported swells of , but winds of only . By September 25, the eye and some of the external banding had disappeared. The storm then proceeded to shrink both in size and in intensity due to stable inflow, and an eye became apparent for the second time. Satellite images of the storm were the basis for the possibility that Orla was maintaining stability due to low-pressure baroclinical processes, an unusual characteristic due to the fact that such conditions are common in
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
s as opposed to
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
s, which Orla was. By September 27, weakening had begun, and the tropical storm was downgraded to a depression on September 28 and a spiral cloud mass continued to be evident on satellite pictures until September 30, when the depression dissipated.


Hurricane Pauline

Forming from an ITCZ, the initial disturbance was tracked for 24 hours, after which it was upgraded to a tropical depression on September 28, although post-analysis revealed the cyclone was a depression since September 26. A vortex developed in the center, helping the cyclone to intensify into a tropical storm on September 29 and the next day, it was upgraded to a hurricane. Pauline underwent an
eyewall replacement cycle In meteorology, eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones with maximum sustained winds greater than , or hurricane-force, and particularly in major hurricanes of Saffir–Simps ...
on October 1 to October 2 before making landfall on Ciudad Constitutión. The hurricane moved back over water, but lost tropical characteristics prior to a second landfall near
Navojoa Navojoa is the fifth-largest city in the northern Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Sonora and is situated in the southern part of the state. The city is the administrative seat of Navojoa Municipality, located in the Mayo River (Mexico), ...
. Total damage is unknown from the hurricane, but a boat with five occupants was reported missing during the passage of the hurricane over
Magdalena Bay Magdalena Bay () is a long bay in Comondú Municipality along the western coast of the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Baja California Sur. It is protected from the Pacific Ocean by the unpopulated sandy barrier islands of Isla Magda ...
. The occupants were never found, and were reported dead as a result. The remnants caused a tornado that touched down near Glendale, injuring three people due to flying glass, and causing severe damage to two apartment buildings.


Hurricane Rebecca

The initial circulation developed in the ITCZ south of the
Gulf of Tehuantepec The 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 T ...
. A low organized along the area on October 4, but intensification did not begin in full effect until the night of October 5. On October 6, the cyclone had organized enough to be considered a tropical depression and was upgraded to a tropical storm later that day. The storm continued to intensify, causing ships to avoid the storm despite its location over heavy shipping lanes. Due lack of shipping reports on October 7 and October 8 led to the idea that the storm had made landfall. The error was revealed when a ship passing nearby reported that the storm had attained hurricane status, and a second ship gave a report that the hurricane had strengthened to a high-end Category 2 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale with a peak intensity estimate of Category 3 strength, making Rebecca the third hurricane of the season that possibly reached such an intensity. However, the official peak in the best track file is . After reaching its peak, the hurricane moved westward until October 9, when a satellite picture gave a hint of the rapid decay the hurricane was about to face. The hurricane began to weaken, and by the time the cyclone neared Socorro Island late on October 9, it had weakened to a tropical storm. The island reported a pressure of and calm winds, while the weakening storm was north-northwest of the island. The storm weakened to a depression on October 10 and dissipated on October 11. No damages or casualties were reported from the hurricane. Rebecca was a small hurricane that approached within of the Mexican coastline. Due to its formation and movement along heavy shipping lines, ships were forced to take detours to avoid running into the hurricane. The hurricane never actually reached land, though at one point a forecast for the hurricane gave the possibility for it to make a landfall on Baja California Peninsula as a tropical depression. At the time, Rebecca drew comparisons to Hurricane Daisy of 1958 and
Hurricane King Hurricane King was the most severe hurricane to strike the city of Miami, Florida, since the 1926 Miami hurricane. It was the eleventh tropical storm and the last of six major hurricanes in the 1950 Atlantic hurricane season. The cyclone formed ...
of 1950 due to its intensity and size.


Tropical Storm Simone

Simone was the last named cyclone this season to form from a disturbance in the ITCZ. A very short-lived storm, it rapidly formed from an area of squalls associated with the ITCZ close to the
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
n coast. Shortly after it formed, a ship called the ''Villanger'' reported winds of to along the northwest and southeast sections of a low center 30 mi (50 km/h) in diameter, leading to the cyclone to be called Simone. The storm moved towards the north and shortly thereafter, the previous low moved over land, likely due to the lack of a source of energy. However, another center formed back over water to the northwest of the previous one, prolonging the life of the storm. The new center caused the storm to shift towards
Tapachula Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez, simply known as Tapachula, is a city and municipality located in the far southeast of the state of Chiapas, Mexico, near the Guatemalan border and the Pacific Ocean. Economically, it is one of the most importan ...
, Mexico and traveled along the coastline until dissipation. With a lifetime of only 24 hours, Simone was the shortest-lived tropical storm of 1968. Although the system was originally missing from best track data, a revision proposed to
National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the IERS Reference Meridian, Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian ...
caused the storm to be reinserted with a peak intensity of winds and a central pressure of . The reason the winds were set at was due to the high pressure of the storm, making it the most likely intensity equivalent, although some readings show that higher winds were reported from the storm. Another reason it was selected was due to it being used as a generic wind speed for tropical storms in the Pacific database.


Tropical Storm Tara

The final storm of the season developed from unknown origins, although there is a possibility that
anticyclogenesis Anticyclogenesis is the development or strengthening of an anticyclonic circulation in the atmosphere. It is the opposite of anticyclolysis (the dissolution or weakening of an anticyclone) and has a cyclonic equivalent known as cyclogenesis. Antic ...
over Mexico that occurred after the dissipation of Simone may have played a part in the formation. When it was first noticed in satellite pictures on October 20 while southwest of Acapulco, it was estimated to have already been a tropical storm with , a peak intensity that was later downgraded in best track data to . The same picture also showed a compact
central dense overcast The central dense overcast, or CDO, of a tropical cyclone or strong subtropical cyclone is the large central area of thunderstorms surrounding its circulation center, caused by the formation of its eyewall. It can be round, angular, oval, or ir ...
, a large mass of deep convection, spanning three degrees of latitude, cirrus outflow, and loose banding features. For the next two days, the center of circulation of Tropical Storm Tara became better defined while slowly growing larger. The intensifying Tara moved to the west at to before turning to the west-northwest at on October 23. At the time of the west-northwest turn, satellite pictures picked up a separation of the cirrus cap, causing the storm to weaken. The system lasted as a weak tropical storm until October 27, when it was determined to have weakened to a depression, although the possibility exists that it had been a depression for days. The depression dissipated the next day.


Other systems

Tropical Depression Two was an unusual depression that developed on June 21 between Mexico and the active Annette. The depression came close to landfall shortly before dissipating on June 22, when Annette also dissipated. The cyclone formed and remained less than longitude from the more powerful tropical storm while in the proximity of land. The formation and impact of this depression are unknown due to a lack of data. This depression was unusual in that tropical cyclones rarely form within such close range to another cyclone in this basin. Tropical Depression Four was a short-lived cyclone that became the first
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
to enter the Central Pacific during the season. It formed on July 12 west of
South Point, Hawaii Ka Lae (), also known as South Point, is the southernmost point of the Big Island of Hawaii and of the 50 United States. The Ka Lae area is registered as a National Historic Landmark District under the name South Point Complex. The area is a ...
, and moved in a general westward direction. At one point in its track, it moved west-southwestward, reaching 15°N when it made a slow turn to the west-northwest. The depression moved into the Central Pacific, where the depression dissipated on July 14, having never affected land. The next tropical depression, Eight, was only marginally longer-lived than the previous depression. The depression formed on July 30 southeast of South Point, Hawaii. Initially moving west-southwestward, it eventually turned to a northwestward track, which it would move along until it dissipated on August 1 east of Hawaii after being active for 60 hours. Tropical Depression Eighteen was the only tropical cyclone formation to occur in the Central Pacific this season. It was first noticed in satellite pictures roughly west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas on August 29 and, after forming, moved to the northwest at a speed of , crossing between Hawaii and
Johnston Atoll Johnston Atoll is an Unincorporated territories of the United States, unincorporated territory of the United States, under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force (USAF). The island is closed to public entry, and limited access for mana ...
until dissipating on August 31, having never affected land. Tropical Depression Twenty-One was the longest lived depression. It formed on October 11 over south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas and moved slowly to the northwest before turning to the southwest. The depression dissipated on October 15 south-southeast of the Baja California Peninsula. It never affected land. Tropical Depression Twenty-Two formed on October 15 at near the border between Mexico and
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
. The depression paralleled the Mexican coast until it dissipated on October 17 about southeast of
Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...
. No reports of damages or casualties have been reported in connection to this depression. Although the best track in the document done by JTWC shows the existence of this depression, a track map with depression tracks done by the same organization did not show a listing for this depression.


Storm names

The following list of names was used for named storms that formed in the Eastern Pacific in 1968. This is the same list as list 1 used during
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
. The list was next used for the 1972 season. At the time, named storms in the Central Pacific were assigned names from the Western Pacific's typhoon list. No named storms formed in the Central Pacific in 1991, though one, listed below, crossed into the basin from the Western Pacific. Named Eastern Pacific storms in the table above that crossed into the basin during the year are noted (*).


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 ...
*
1968 Atlantic hurricane season The 1968 Atlantic hurricane season was a below average hurricane season during which only nine nameable storms developed. The season officially began on June 1 and lasted until November 30, dates which conventionally delimit the peri ...
*
1968 Pacific typhoon season The 1968 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1968, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year wh ...
*
1966 North Indian Ocean cyclone season The 1966 North Indian Ocean cyclone season had no bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November. The season has no official bounds but cyclones tend to form between April and December. These dates c ...
* Australian region cyclone seasons: 1967–68 1968–69 * South Pacific cyclone seasons: 1967–68 1968–69 * South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1967–68 1968–69


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1968 Pacific Hurricane Season Pacific hurricane seasons Articles which contain graphical timelines