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2006 Pacific hurricane season

Encyclopedia : 2 : 20 : 200 : 2006 Pacific hurricane season

2006 Pacific hurricane season (active)
First system formed1: May 27, 2006
Active systems1: Daniel
Total named storms: 4
Total hurricanes: 2
Major hurricanes (Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale>Cat. 3+): 1
Strongest storm: Bud (125 mph, 953 mb)
Number of systems making landfall1: None yet
Total damages: Unknown
Total Accumulated cyclone energy>ACE: 18.2
Confirmed fatalities: 0
List of Pacific hurricane seasons>Pacific hurricane seasons
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
1Including tropical and subtropical depressions
The 2006 Pacific hurricane season is an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. It officially began May 15, 2006 in the eastern Pacific, designated as the area east of 140°W, and began on June 1 2006 in the central Pacific, which is between the International Date Line and 140°W. The season will last until November 30, 2006.

Contents

Seasonal forecasts

Predictions of tropical activity in the 2006 season
Source Date Named
storms 		Hurricanes Major
hurricanes
NOAA Average 15.3 8.8 4.2
NOAA 22 May 2006 12–16 6–8 1–3
On May 22, 2006, NOAA released their forecasts for the 2006 Atlantic, East Pacific, and Central Pacific hurricane seasons. They predict a below-normal level of activity in the Eastern Pacific, with 12 to 16 named storms, of which 6 to 8 are expected to become hurricanes, and 1 to 3 expected to become major hurricanes. The Central Pacific basin is also expected to be below average, with only two to three tropical cyclones expected to form or cross into the area. They expect that neither El Niño nor La Niña will affect conditions significantly.

Storms

Tropical Storm Aletta

Tropical Storm Aletta
Duration —
Intensity ,
An area of disturbed weather located south-southwest of Acapulco, Mexico was first detected on May 23, just eight days into the season. It gradually gained organized convection and was classified as a tropical depression early on May 27. It became a tropical storm later that morning, the first of 2006 in the Western Hemisphere. While named tropical cyclones in May are infrequent events, Aletta marked the seventh consecutive year to have a named cyclone form in May. It strengthened to a tropical storm with 45 mph (70 km/h) winds while moving towards the Guerrero coast in southwestern Mexico, but it later turned to the west and weakened on May 29. Aletta continued to weaken until it dissipated on May 30.

Aletta produced moderate rainfall across Mexico, including 3.6 inches in southern Oaxaca. There were no reports of damage.

Tropical Depression Two-E

Tropical Depression Two-E
Duration —
Intensity ,

On June 1, an area of disturbed weather developed near the same area in which Aletta formed. High shear slowed the development of the system. However, it gained enough convection and organization to be classified as a tropical depression on June 3. The depression strengthened to near tropical storm status as it approached the coast of southwestern Mexico; however, shear persisted over the system and it weakened before dissipating on June 4.

Despite never becoming a named storm, heavy rain occurred, with Acapulco receiving between 10-12 inches (250-300 mm) of rain as a result of the depression.

Hurricane Bud

Hurricane Bud
Duration —
Intensity ,
After over a month of inactivity, a disturbance in the Eastern Pacific off the Peninsula of Baja California began to intensify, and it was designated as Tropical Depression Three-E on July 10 local time (July 11 UTC), while about 750 miles (1200 km) south of the tip of Baja California. On July 11, just six hours after the first advisory, it strengthened into Tropical Storm Bud. After that, Bud rapidly intensified over favorable conditions. It developed an eye on the afternoon of July 11 and was designated a hurricane in a special advisory in the late afternoon. It continued to intensify and eventually became a major hurricane late on July 12. On July 13, Bud reached a peak of maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (200 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 953 mbar as a strong Category 3 hurricane. It then weakened rapidly as it moved over much colder waters, losing almost all its convection and weakening to a tropical storm on July 14 and later weakening to tropical depression status on July 15. The depression continued losing convection and degenerated into a remnant low later that day.

Hurricane Carlotta

Hurricane Carlotta
Duration —
Intensity ,
Late on July 11, a new tropical depression formed about 250 miles (400 km) southwest of the Mexican state of Guerrero. The depression intensified quickly, and six hours later it was upgraded to tropical storm status, receiving the name Carlotta. The storm continued to strengthen, and became a hurricane 24 hours later. However, the system encountered unfavorable conditions and cooler waters and weakened into a tropical storm during the afternoon of July 14. However, Carlotta managed to regain some convection and restrengthened into a hurricane late that evening, only to weaken back into a tropical storm again the following morning. The system continued to weaken and was downgraded to tropical depression status on the morning of July 16. Carlotta degenerated into a non-convective remnant low later that night.

Tropical Storm Daniel

On July 16, a tropical disturbance formed far to the south of Baja California and quickly increased in convective activity and organization. The NHC designated it as a tropical depression that night (July 17 UTC). The depression continued to organize and was designated as a tropical storm the next day.

Current storm information

As of 2 a.m. PDT on July 18 (0900 UTC), Tropical Storm Daniel was located near 12.2°N, 115.2°W. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h), with higher gusts. The storm was moving toward the west at about 12 mph (19 km/h). The minimum central pressure was 994 mbar (29.34 inHg). The storm is forecast to continue westward and intensify into a hurricane within the next 24 hours. NHC forecasters note that there is the possibility of rapid intensification similar to Hurricane Bud a week earlier.

Recent timeline of events

Main article: Timeline of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season

July

July 10
*8 p.m. PDT (0300 UTC, July 11) - Tropical Depression Three-E forms 750 miles (1200 km) south of the tip of the Baja California peninsula.
July 11
*2 a.m. PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Depression Three-E strengthens into Tropical Storm Bud.
*3:30 p.m. PDT (2230 UTC) - Tropical Storm Bud strengthens into Hurricane Bud.
*8 p.m. PDT (0300 UTC, July 12) - Tropical Depression Four-E forms 240 miles (390 km) south-southwest of Zihuatanejo.
July 12
*2 a.m. PDT (0900 UTC) - Hurricane Bud is upgraded to Category 2 intensity, and Tropical Depression Four-E strengthens into Tropical Storm Carlotta.
*8 p.m. PDT (0300 UTC, July 13) - Hurricane Bud is upgraded to Category 3 intensity.
July 13
*2 a.m. PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Storm Carlotta strengthens into Hurricane Carlotta.
July 14
*8 a.m. PDT (1500 UTC) - Hurricane Bud weakens into a tropical storm.
*2 p.m. PDT (2100 UTC) - Hurricane Carlotta weakens into a tropical storm.
*8 p.m. PDT (0300 UTC, July 15) - Tropical Storm Carlotta restrengthens into Hurricane Carlotta.
July 15
*2 a.m. PDT (0900 UTC) - Tropical Storm Bud weakens into a tropical depression.
*2 p.m. PDT (2100 UTC) - The National Hurricane Center issues its last advisory on weakening Tropical Depression Bud, and Hurricane Carlotta is downgraded to a tropical storm again.
July 16
*8 a.m. PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Storm Carlotta weakens into a tropical depression.
*8 p.m. PDT (0300 UTC, July 17) - Tropical Depression Five-E forms 730 miles south of the tip of Baja California, and Tropical Depression Carlotta dissipates.
July 17
*8 a.m. PDT (1500 UTC) - Tropical Depression Five-E strengthens into Tropical Storm Daniel.

Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Rating

ACE (104kt2) – Storm: [Source]
1 9.30 Bud
2 6.48 Carlotta
3 1.29 Aletta
4 1.15
Total: 18.2

The table on the right shows the ACE for each storm in the season. ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed for, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. ACE is only calculated for full advisories on fully tropical systems at or exceeding 35 knots (39 mph/63 km/h; tropical storm strength), so the ACE of Tropical Depression Two-E was zero.

2006 storm names

The following names will be used for named storms that form in the northeast Pacific in 2006. This is the same list that was used in the 2000 season. Storms that form in the central Pacific are given names from a sequential list; if any are used, they will be mentioned separately.

  • Aletta
  • Bud
  • Carlotta

The first name on the Central Pacific list for 2006 will be Ioke. No name from this list has been used since 2002.

Retired names, if any, will be announced by the WMO in the spring of 2007.

See also

  1. redirect

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References

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