1998 Pacific hurricane season

1998 Pacific hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formed	June 11, 1998
Last system dissipated	October 26, 1998
Strongest storm
Name	Howard
• Maximum winds	150 mph (240 km/h) (1-minute sustained)
• Lowest pressure	932 mbar (hPa; 27.52 inHg)
Seasonal statistics
Total depressions	16
Total storms	13
Hurricanes	9
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+)	6
Total fatalities	54 total
Total damage	$760 million (1998 USD)
Related articles
1998 Atlantic hurricane season 1998 Pacific typhoon season 1998 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
Pacific hurricane seasons 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

The 1998 Pacific hurricane season was a fairly average Pacific hurricane season. Despite this, it had nine hurricanes and six major hurricanes, which was well above average. The season officially started on May 15 in the eastern Pacific and on June 1 in the central Pacific, and ended on November 30; these dates conventionally delimit the period during which most tropical cyclones form in that region. The first tropical cyclone developed on June 11, about ten days later than the normal start of the season.^[1] The final storm of the year, Hurricane Madeline, dissipated on October 20. Storm activity in the Central Pacific Hurricane Center's warning zone was low, with just one tropical depression observed in the region. Two tropical cyclones from the eastern Pacific (Darby and Estelle) also entered the central Pacific; the former did so as a hurricane.

The most notable tropical cyclone of the year was Hurricane Isis, which killed fourteen people when it made landfall on southern Baja California Sur and coastal Sinaloa in Mexico. Isis caused considerable damage in the nation while destroying more than 700 homes and damaging dozens of cars.^[2] It later produced sporadic rainfall in the southwestern United States, leading to some traffic accidents. In addition to Isis, Tropical Storm Javier moved ashore the coast of Jalisco in Mexico; the country also experienced indirect effects from four other storms, all of which remained offshore. One tropical cyclone, Hurricane Lester, affected Central America, causing two deaths in Guatemala, and later brought heavy rains to southern Mexico. Three tropical cyclones brought light to moderate rainfall to the southwestern United States, and one hurricane produced rough surf along the coast of California. Hurricane Madeline contributed to a deadly and costly flood in southern Texas.