2012 Pacific hurricane season

2012 Pacific hurricane season

Season summary map
First storm formed	May 14, 2012
Last storm dissipated	Season still active
Strongest storm	Bud – 960 mbar (hPa) (28.36 inHg), 115 mph (185 km/h)
Total depressions	2
Total storms	2
Hurricanes	1
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+)	1
Total fatalities	Unknown
Total damage	Unknown
Pacific hurricane seasons 2010, 2011, 2012, Post-2012
Related article
Timeline of the 2012 Pacific hurricane season

The 2012 Pacific hurricane season is an event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The season was scheduled to officially start on May 15, 2012 in the Eastern Pacific, although Tropical Storm Aletta developed a day prior. The season is scheduled to begin on June 1, 2012 in the Central Pacific, and the entire season will end on November 30, 2012. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Pacific basin.

Seasonal forecasts

On May 24, the Climate Prediction Center released its pre-season outlook. The scientists stated a 30% chance of a below-normal season, a 50% chance of a near-normal season and a 20% chance of an above-normal season. The climatologists expected 12–18 named storms, with 5–9 becoming hurricanes, and 2–5 becoming major hurricanes. The below-normal activity forecast was because of increased wind shear and a high expectation of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-neutral conditions throughout the peak in the later months of summer, together with lingering La Niña conditions at the beginning of the season, even though so far, there have already been two named systems, one tropical storm, and one major hurricane in the month of May.

Storms

Tropical Storm Aletta

Tropical storm (SSHS)
Duration	May 14 – May 19
Intensity	50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min),  1000 mbar (hPa)

On May 12, the NHC started to monitor a tropical disturbance that had developed about 550 miles (890 km) to the south-southwest of Acapulco, Mexico.^[1] During that day the disturbance moved quickly towards the northwest before early on May 14, the disturbance was deemed to have organised enough to be declared Tropical Depression One-E.^[2] During that day the depression intensified further before it was declared a tropical storm and named Aletta.^[3] On May 16, Tropical Storm Aletta reached its peak intensity of 50 mph (85 km/h), with a minimum low pressure of 1000 hPa. Later on May 16, Tropical Storm Aletta began to enter unfavorable environmental conditions, with increasing wind shear and dry air, which weakened the storm to a 40 mph (65 km/h) tropical storm. Very late on May 16, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Aletta to a tropical depression, as the system began losing its convection after turning to the west-northwest.^[4] On May 17, Tropical Depression Aletta lost most of its convection, as it turned to the northwest.^[5] Late on May 17, Aletta regained much of its convection, as it turned northward.^[6] On May 18, Aletta lost all of its western and southern convection, due to winds shear as the storm turned northeastward, and continued to weaken. Aletta became post-tropical the next day, as it turned to the east.^[7] Late on May 19, Aletta's remnant dissipated into a convectionless vortex, as it turned northeast.^[8] Later, Aletta's convectionless remnant slowly accelerated westward, before dissipating completely on May 21.

Hurricane Bud

Category 3 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration	May 21 – May 26
Intensity	115 mph (185 km/h) (1-min),  960 mbar (hPa)

On May 12, a low pressure system formed just south of eastern Panama. The storm slowly organized as it moved westwards. On May 15, the storm acquired a burst of convection, and the NHC began to monitor the system.^[9] As the storm turned west-northwestwards, it organized significantly. On May 17, wind shear began to erode the storm's convection, weakening the system and causing it to stall, although the system continued to persist. On May 20, the storm strengthened rapidly, as it began moving again, and on May 21, the NHC reported that the storm had strengthened into Tropical Depression Two-E.^[10] Then, as it slightly accelerated to the west, the storm continued to organize, eventually intensifying into Tropical Storm Bud on May 22, with 40 mph sustained winds. Bud remained at this intensity for one day before strengthening, starting early on May 23, and reached winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) during the afternoon. By the next morning (May 24), Bud continued its rapid intensification, reaching sustained winds of 85 mph, and then 110 mph by the afternoon, as the system turned northward. Later on the same day, Bud turned to the northeast, and began to approach the coast of Western Mexico. Late on May 24, Bud intensified further into a Category 3 major hurricane, and obtained a peak intensity of 115 mph winds, with a minimum central low pressure of 960 mbars.^[11] Hurricane Bud was able to maintain Category 3 intensity for the next several hours, even its outer rainbands began moving onshore in Western Mexico. Very early on May 25, Hurricane Bud weakened down to a strong Category 2 hurricane.^[12] Hurricane Bud rapidly began to weaken, as it slowly moved onshore. Bud quickly lost most of its convection, which was sheared mainly to the north. During the mid-afternoon of May 25, Bud weakened down to a strong tropical storm, as it began making landfall on Western Mexico. Further weakening ensued over the next 24 hours, and Bud degenerated into a remnant low early on May 26.

Timeline of recent events

May

May 14

• 1500 UTC (8 a.m. PDT) - Tropical Depression One-E forms about 645 miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico.

May 15

• The 2012 Pacific hurricane season officially begins.
• 0300 UTC (8 p.m. PDT, May 14) - Tropical Depression One strengthens into Tropical Storm Aletta about 650 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico.

May 17

• 0900 UTC (2 a.m. PDT) - Tropical Storm Aletta weakens into a tropical depression about 835 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.

May 19

• 1500 UTC (8 a.m. PDT) - Tropical Depression Aletta transitions into a post-tropical cyclone about 585 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.

May 21

• 0300 UTC (8 p.m. PDT, May 20) - Tropical Depression Two-E forms about 525 miles south of Acapulco, Mexico.

May 22

• 0900 UTC (2 a.m. PDT) - Tropical Depression Two-E strengthens into Tropical Storm Bud.

May 24

• 0600 UTC (11 p.m. PDT, May 23) - Tropical Storm Bud strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane.
• 1400 UTC (7 a.m. PDT) - Hurricane Bud strengthens into a Category 2 hurricane.

May 25

• 0300 UTC (8 p.m. PDT, May 24) - Hurricane Bud strengthens into a Category 3 major hurricane.
• 0900 UTC (2 a.m. PDT) - Hurricane Bud weakens into a Category 2 hurricane.
• 1800 UTC (11 a.m. PDT) - Hurricane Bud weakens into a Category 1 hurricane.

May 26

• 0000 UTC (5 p.m. PDT, May 25) - Hurricane Bud weakens into a tropical storm, as it approaches Western Mexico.
• 0900 UTC (2 a.m. PDT) - Tropical Storm Bud weakens into a tropical depression.
• 1500 UTC (8 a.m. PDT) - Tropical Depression Bud degenerates into a remnant low.

Storm names

The following names will be used for named storms that form in the Eastern Pacific in 2012. Retired names, if any, will be announced by the World Meteorological Organization in the spring of 2013. The names not retired from this list will be used again in the 2018 season. This is the same list used in the 2006 season.

The Central Pacific season originates around the islands of Hawaii. There are several names that are in four lists; the next four names to be used are shown below.

• Pewa (unused)
• Unala (unused)
• Wali (unused)
• Ana (unused)

Season effects

This is a table of all of the storms in the 2012 Pacific hurricane season. It includes their durations, peak intensities, names, landfall(s), damages, and death totals. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but are still storm-related. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low. All of the damage figures are in 2012 USD.

Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE)

The table on the right shows the ACE for each storm in the season. Broadly speaking, the ACE is a measure of the power of a hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. ACE is calculated for only full advisories on specifically tropical systems reaching or exceeding wind speeds of 34 knots (39 mph, 63 km/h), or tropical storm strength. Accordingly, tropical depressions are not included here. The ACE also does not include subtropical storms. Later the NHC reexamines the data, and produces a final report on each storm, which can lead to the ACE for a storm being revised either upward or downward. Until the final reports are issued, ACEs are, therefore, provisional.

The figures in parentheses are for storms in the Central Pacific basin west of 140°W; those not in parentheses are for the Eastern Pacific basin.

See also

Tropical cyclones portal

• List of Pacific hurricanes
• List of Pacific hurricane seasons
• 2012 Atlantic hurricane season
• 2012 Pacific typhoon season
• 2012 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
• South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 2011–12
• Australian region cyclone seasons: 2011–12, 2012–13
• South Pacific cyclone seasons: 2011–12, 2012–13

References

External links

• National Hurricane Center Website
• National Hurricane Center's Eastern Pacific Tropical Weather Outlook

• v
• t
• e

Tropical cyclones of the 2012 Pacific hurricane season
A B		Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale TD TS C1 C2 C3 C4 C5

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