2011 Pacific Hurricane Season - Seasonal Summary

Seasonal Summary

See also: Timeline of the 2011 Pacific hurricane season

The season got off to an active start with first storm, Adrian, becoming one of only a handful of tropical cyclones to attain Category 4 status in June. Four other storms, Dora, Eugene, Hilary, and Kenneth attained Category 4 status. Dora was the strongest storm of the year, peaking at 155 mph, just short of Category 5 status. The month of August was about average in terms of the number of storms, with the strongest of the month being Eugene. However, the first half of September had very little activity, due to the return of a La Niña event. Tropical Depression Eight-E was the only storm in the first half of September, when it dissipated on September 1. Hilary became the second storm to form in September, becoming the fourth Category 4 hurricane (and the 4th major hurricane of the season), during the afternoon hours of September 22. After Hilary, Jova unexpectedly became the 5th major hurricane of the season during the early morning hours of October 10. Tropical Depression Twelve-E killed 30 people in Central America when it made landfall near El Salvador on October 12. On November 19 Kenneth formed as a tropical depression and quickly strengthened into a hurricane on November 21. Kenneth became the first major hurricane in November and latest-forming major hurricane in the eastern north Pacific basin in the satellite era; the last to do so was Winnie in 1983, which only peaked at Category 1 status. Hurricane Kenneth, however, intensified to attain Category 4 status on November 22, which broke the record.