Tropical Storm Alma - Records and Retirement

Records and Retirement

Forming at 86.5ºW, Alma developed further east than any other Pacific tropical cyclone on record. Excluding systems crossing in from the Atlantic, only seven other systems, Francesca in 1970, Bridget and Priscilla in 1971, Jimena in 1979, Paul in 1982, Cristina in 1996, and Rosa in 2000, developed east of 90ºW. Alma made landfall further east than any other Pacific tropical cyclone, and it was the only to do so on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. When the storm formed on May 29, it marked the ninth year in a row when a Pacific tropical cyclone formed in May, which was the most consecutive years in which storms formed in May. Alma's remnants contributed to the formation of Tropical Storm Arthur in the Atlantic; although not strictly speaking the same cyclone due to the circulation of Alma dissipating, Alma is the most recent former eastern Pacific tropical cyclone to in any sense cross into the Atlantic; the last time that happened was in 1989, when the remnants of Hurricane Cosme later became Tropical Storm Allison in June.

Despite its low death toll and low damage, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Alma from the list of Pacific hurricane names and replaced it with Amanda for the 2014 Pacific hurricane season. This makes Alma the first tropical storm to be retired in the Eastern Pacific.