1985 Pacific Hurricane Season - Seasonal Impact

Seasonal Impact

Even though the early season storms were no threat to land, there were several notable storms this year, in which one writer described as worst year ever. Hurricanes Ignacio, Pauline, Rick, and Nele all affected Hawaii. The first, Hurricane Ignacio produced 10 ft (3.0 m) to 15 ft (4.6 m) waves along south-facing beaches. However, rainfall from Ignacio was light. The second storm, Hurricane Pauline came close enough to require a hurricane watch, but the watch was discontinued when Pauline veered north. However, the storm did produced high waves, with amplitudes of 10 ft (3.0 m) to 15 ft (4.6 m) on the eastern side of Puna and Kau. Days later, Hurricane Rick generated high waves; however, the waves were not nearly as high as they were during Pauline. The final storm to affect Hawaii was Hurricane Nele. Due to fears of a repeat from Hurricane Iwa, which struck during the 1982 Pacific hurricane season, a hurricane watch was issued. Although the watch was discontinued when Nele veered west, it late re-curved and struck the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, giving boats a rough night.

The only storm to make landfall was Hurricane Waldo. Waldo destroyed 600 homes in Sinaloa and later produced significant rainfall across the Southwestern United States and Great Plains. One person was killed in Kansas. In addition, two storms affected California. The first, Tropical Storm Guillermo, helped firefighters put out fires. The second, Tropical Storm Nora, brought light rainfall to the northern portion of the state.