The 2006 Pacific hurricane season was a very busy time for hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean. It had more storms than usual, with 19 named storms. Out of these, 11 grew into hurricanes, and 6 became very strong, called "major hurricanes." This was the most active season since the 2000 Pacific hurricane season.
The hurricane season officially started on May 15, 2006, for the eastern Pacific Ocean (east of 140°W longitude). For the central Pacific (between the International Date Line and 140°W), it began on June 1, 2006. Both parts of the season officially ended on November 30, 2006. These dates are chosen because most tropical cyclones (which include tropical storms and hurricanes) usually form in the eastern Pacific during this period each year.
Storms of 2006
This section tells you about the different storms that formed during the 2006 Pacific hurricane season.
Tropical Storm Aletta
Tropical storm (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
May 27 – May 30 |
Intensity |
45 mph (75 km/h) (1-min), 1002 mbar (hPa) |
Tropical Depression One-E formed on May 27 and soon became Tropical Storm Aletta. Aletta stayed near the coast of Mexico and caused only a little bit of damage. It weakened back into a tropical depression and disappeared by May 30.
Tropical Depression Two-E
Tropical depression (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
June 3 – June 5 |
Intensity |
35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min), 1005 mbar (hPa) |
Two-E formed near Mexico on June 3. It lasted only two days. Even though it was a weak storm, Two-E brought a lot of rain to Mexico, about 15 inches in some places.
Hurricane Bud
Category 3 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
July 11 – July 16 |
Intensity |
125 mph (205 km/h) (1-min), 953 mbar (hPa) |
Bud was a strong storm, reaching Category 3 strength. It got strong very quickly, but then it also weakened just as fast.
Hurricane Carlota
Category 1 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
July 12 – July 16 |
Intensity |
85 mph (140 km/h) (1-min), 981 mbar (hPa) |
Carlota was a Category 1 hurricane. It caused some light rain in Mexico, but no damage was reported from this storm.
Hurricane Daniel
Category 4 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
July 16 – July 26 |
Intensity |
150 mph (240 km/h) (1-min), 933 mbar (hPa) |
Satellite image of Hurricane Daniel when it was at its strongest.
Daniel was a major hurricane that lasted for a long time. It reached Category 4 strength, making it the second strongest storm of the year. It brought some rain to Hawaii.
Tropical Storm Emilia
Tropical storm (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
July 21 – July 28 |
Intensity |
65 mph (100 km/h) (1-min), 990 mbar (hPa) |
Emilia caused some rain in Mexico, which led to minor damage.
Tropical Storm Fabio
Tropical storm (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
July 31 – August 3 |
Intensity |
50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min), 1000 mbar (hPa) |
Fabio brought heavy rainfall to Hawaii.
Tropical Storm Gilma
Tropical storm (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
August 1 – August 3 |
Intensity |
40 mph (65 km/h) (1-min), 1004 mbar (hPa) |
Gilma was the weakest storm of the season so far. It produced light rain in Mexico.
Hurricane Hector
Category 2 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
August 15 – August 23 |
Intensity |
110 mph (175 km/h) (1-min), 966 mbar (hPa) |
Hector was a Category 2 hurricane. It traveled all the way to the Central Pacific Ocean.
Hurricane Ioke
Category 5 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
August 20 – August 27 |
Intensity |
160 mph (260 km/h) (1-min), 915 mbar (hPa) |
Ioke was the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Central Pacific. It threatened Johnson Atoll and Wake Island. It formed on August 20 and quickly became a major hurricane in just 36 hours. Ioke later changed into a different type of storm on September 6. It caused nearly $100 million in damage. Ioke also brought heavy rain to Alaska. It was the only Category 5 storm to form in the Central Pacific that year, and its name was later removed from the list of hurricane names because it was so powerful.
Hurricane Ileana
Category 3 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
August 21 – August 27 |
Intensity |
120 mph (195 km/h) (1-min), 955 mbar (hPa) |
Ileana reached Category 3 strength. Sadly, one person died in Mexico because of this storm.
Hurricane John
Category 4 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
August 28 – September 4 |
Intensity |
135 mph (215 km/h) (1-min), 948 mbar (hPa) |
John started as a tropical depression, then became a tropical storm, and finally a hurricane. It reached Category 4 strength. When John hit Baja California as a Category 2 storm on September 1, five people died. Hurricane John ended on September 4.
Hurricane Kristy
Category 1 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
August 30 – September 8 |
Intensity |
80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min), 985 mbar (hPa) |
Kristy was a Category 1 hurricane. Its strength was affected by the much larger Hurricane John nearby.
Hurricane Lane
Category 3 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
September 13 – September 17 |
Intensity |
125 mph (205 km/h) (1-min), 952 mbar (hPa) |
Lane caused serious damage in Mexico when it hit as a Category 3 major hurricane. Four people died because of Lane, and it caused $203 million in damage.
Tropical Storm Miriam
Tropical storm (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
September 16 – September 18 |
Intensity |
45 mph (75 km/h) (1-min), 999 mbar (hPa) |
Tropical Depression Two-C
Tropical depression (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
September 18 – September 20 |
Intensity |
35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min), 1007 mbar (hPa) |
Tropical Depression Three-C
Tropical depression (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
September 26 – September 27 |
Intensity |
35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min), 1007 mbar (hPa) |
Three-C was a tropical depression that didn't last long. It formed far southwest of Hawaii and disappeared the next day without affecting any land.
Tropical Storm Norman
Tropical storm (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
October 9 – October 15 |
Intensity |
50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min), 1000 mbar (hPa) |
Norman hit Mexico as a tropical depression, causing only minor damage.
Tropical Storm Olivia
Tropical storm (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
October 9 – October 12 |
Intensity |
45 mph (75 km/h) (1-min), 1000 mbar (hPa) |
Olivia did not affect any land.
Tropical Depression Four-C
Tropical depression (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
October 13 – October 14 |
Intensity |
35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min), 1007 mbar (hPa) |
Four-C was another short-lived tropical depression. It formed on October 13 and ended the next day. What was left of Four-C caused heavy rain in Hawaii.
Hurricane Paul
Category 2 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
October 21 – October 26 |
Intensity |
105 mph (165 km/h) (1-min), 970 mbar (hPa) |
Paul was a Category 2 hurricane. Four people died in Mexico because of this storm.
Tropical Depression Eighteen-E
Tropical depression (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
October 26 – October 27 |
Intensity |
35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min), 1007 mbar (hPa) |
Tropical Storm Rosa
Tropical storm (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
November 8 – November 10 |
Intensity |
40 mph (65 km/h) (1-min), 1002 mbar (hPa) |
Rosa brought light rain to Mexico in November.
Tropical Depression Twenty-E
Tropical depression (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
November 11 – November 11 |
Intensity |
35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min), 1007 mbar (hPa) |
Tropical Depression Twenty-E formed and ended on the same day, November 11. It did not affect any land.
Hurricane Sergio
Category 2 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
Duration |
November 13 – November 20 |
Intensity |
110 mph (175 km/h) (1-min), 965 mbar (hPa) |
Sergio was also a Category 2 storm. It was the strongest storm to form in November that year.
How Hurricanes Get Their Names
Main articles:
Tropical cyclone naming, History of tropical cyclone naming, and List of historic tropical cyclone names
Hurricanes in the northeast Pacific in 2006 were given names from a special list. This was the same list used in the 2000 Pacific hurricane season. None of the names from this list were "retired" (removed because the storm was very destructive). So, the same list was used again in the 2012 Pacific hurricane season.
- Aletta
- Bud
- Carlotta
- Daniel
- Emilia
- Fabio
- Gilma
- Hector
|
- Ileana
- John
- Kristy
- Lane
- Miriam
- Norman
- Olivia
- Paul
|
- Rosa
- Sergio
- Tara (unused)
- Vicente (unused)
- Willa (unused)
- Xavier (unused)
- Yolanda (unused)
- Zeke (unused)
|
For storms that form in the Central Pacific Hurricane Center's area (between 140 degrees west and the International Date Line), names come from a different set of lists that rotate. The next four names ready for use in 2006 are shown below. However, only the name Ioke was actually used that year.
Retired Names
The name Ioke was removed from the list of names for the north-central Pacific in 2007. This happened because Ioke was an extremely powerful and damaging hurricane. A new name, Iopa, took its place. There was also a request to retire the name Daniel because it was a memorable storm, but this request was not approved, so Daniel remains on the list for future use.
Season Summary
This table shows a quick overview of all the storms that formed during the 2006 Pacific hurricane season. It includes how long they lasted, their names, where they made landfall (hit land), how much damage they caused, and how many people died. Damage amounts are in 2006 US dollars.
2006 Pacific hurricane season statistics
Storm
name |
Dates active |
Storm category
at peak intensity
|
Max 1-min
wind
mph (km/h) |
Min.
press.
(mbar) |
Areas affected |
Damage
(USD) |
Deaths |
Refs
|
Aletta |
May 27 – 30 |
Tropical storm |
45 (75) |
1002 |
None |
Minimal |
None |
|
Two-E |
June 3 – 5 |
Tropical depression |
35 (55) |
1005 |
Southwestern Mexico, Western Mexico |
None |
None |
|
Bud |
July 11 – 16 |
Category 3 hurricane |
125 (205) |
953 |
Hawaii |
None |
None |
|
Carlotta |
July 12 – 16 |
Category 1 hurricane |
85 (140) |
981 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Daniel |
July 16 – 26 |
Category 4 hurricane |
150 (240) |
933 |
Hawaii |
None |
None |
|
Emilia |
July 21 – 28 |
Tropical storm |
65 (100) |
990 |
Southwestern Mexico, Western Mexico, Baja California Peninsula, Southwestern United States |
Minimal |
None |
|
Fabio |
July 31 – August 3 |
Tropical storm |
50 (85) |
1000 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Gilma |
August 1 – 3 |
Tropical storm |
40 (65) |
1004 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Hector |
August 15 – 23 |
Category 2 hurricane |
110 (175) |
966 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Ioke |
August 20 – 27, |
Category 5 hurricane |
160 (260) |
915 |
Johnston Atoll, Wake Island, Minamitorishima, Southern Alaska |
&10000000088000000000000$88 million |
None |
|
Ileana |
August 21 – 27 |
Category 3 hurricane |
125 (205) |
951 |
Socorro Island |
Minimal |
1 |
|
John |
August 28 – September 4 |
Category 4 hurricane |
130 (215) |
948 |
Guerrero, Michoacán, Baja California Sur, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas |
&10000000060900000000000$60.9 million |
5 |
|
Kristy |
August 30 – September 8 |
Category 1 hurricane |
80 (130) |
985 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Lane |
September 13 – 17 |
Category 3 hurricane |
125 (205) |
952 |
Southwestern Mexico, Western Mexico, Northwestern Mexico, Southwestern United States |
&10000000203000000000000$203 million |
4 |
|
Miriam |
September 16 – 18 |
Tropical storm |
45 (75) |
999 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Two-C |
September 19 – 20 |
Tropical depression |
35 (55) |
1007 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Three-C |
September 26 – 27 |
Tropical depression |
35 (55) |
1008 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Norman |
October 9 – 15 |
Tropical storm |
50 (85) |
1000 |
Southwestern Mexico, Western Mexico |
None |
None |
|
Olivia |
October 9 – 12 |
Tropical storm |
45 (75) |
1000 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Four-C |
October 13 – 14 |
Tropical depression |
35 (55) |
1007 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Paul |
October 21 – 26 |
Category 2 hurricane |
105 (165) |
970 |
Oaxaca, Guerrero, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa |
&10000000003200000000000$3.2 million |
4 |
|
Eighteen-E |
October 26 – 27 |
Tropical depression |
35 (55) |
1007 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Rosa |
November 8 – 10 |
Tropical storm |
40 (65) |
1002 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Twenty-E |
November 11 |
Tropical depression |
35 (55) |
1007 |
None |
None |
None |
|
Sergio |
November 13 – 20 |
Category 2 hurricane |
110 (175) |
965 |
Guerrero |
None |
None |
|
Season Aggregates |
25 systems |
May 27 – November 20 |
|
160 (260) |
915 |
|
&10000000355100000000000$355 million |
14 |
|
Related pages
Tropical cyclones of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season
|
* Central Pacific system |
Images for kids
-
This image shows a cyclone at its strongest in the northeast Pacific on November 1.
See also
In Spanish: Temporada de huracanes en el Pacífico de 2006 para niños