List of Category 5 Pacific hurricanes
The term "hurricane" is used for tropical cyclones in the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator and east of the International Date Line.
Another factor preventing tropical cyclones from forming during the winter is the presence of a semi-permanent low-pressure area called the Aleutian Low between January and April.
Its effects in the central Pacific near the 160th meridian west cause tropical waves that form in the area to move northward into the Gulf of Alaska.
The Aleutian Low's retreat in late-April allows the warmth of the Pacific High to meander in, bringing its powerful clockwise wind circulation with it.
As a result, the earliest tropical waves begin to form,[2] coinciding with the start of the eastern Pacific hurricane season on May 15.
[3] During summer and early autumn, sea surface temperatures rise further, reaching 29 °C (84 °F) in July and August, well above the 26.5 °C (79.7 °F) threshold for the formation and intensification of tropical cyclones.
During El Niño events, sea surface temperatures increase in the Northeast Pacific and vertical wind shear decreases.
[8] This lists all of the Category 5 hurricanes in the order in which they formed according to the central and eastern Pacific HURDAT database, which dates back to 1949.
Before the advent of reliable geostationary satellite coverage in 1966, the number of eastern Pacific tropical cyclones was significantly underestimated.
[8] Ioke did not lose Category 5 status on August 26, but it moved into the Western North Pacific, and thus was no longer considered a hurricane, but rather a typhoon.
Of all of the Category 5 Pacific hurricanes, only five made landfall, all of which occurred during the late-season month of October, and all of which impacted Mexico.
[11] In addition to these five systems, hurricanes John, Linda, Ioke, Lane, and Walaka all threatened land at some point during their existence.
[16] Linda was briefly forecast to approach southern California, and it passed close to Socorro Island near peak intensity.
[21] The reason for the lack of landfalls is that tropical cyclones in the northern hemisphere usually travel to the west[22] due to easterly trade winds.
