The 1991 Pacific hurricane season was the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation over the Pacific Ocean north of the equator and east of the International Date Line. The season officially began on May 15 in the Eastern Pacific basin proper (east of 140°W) and June 1 in the Central Pacific basin (140°W to the International Date Line), and ended on November 30 in both areas. This is historically the period during which most tropical cyclogenesis occurs in these respective areas. The first system, Tropical Storm Andres, formed on May 16; the final system, Hurricane Nora, dissipated on November 12.
Activity during the 1991 season was irregular, with intense bursts of activity punctured by lulls which occurred during climatologically busy periods. A near-average total of 14 named tropical storms ultimately developed, though most were strong or long-lasting. Ten strengthened into hurricanes, of which five became major hurricanes by reaching Category 3 or higher on the five-level Saffir–Simpson scale. Hurricane Kevin, the strongest storm of the season, spent 12 days as a hurricane east of 140°W, setting a basin record. The season also produced two tropical depressions that did not attain tropical storm status. No tropical cyclones formed in the Central Pacific basin, though three crossed 140°W from the east, two of which—Fefa and Kevin—did so as hurricanes.
The only system to make landfall this season was Tropical Depression , which struck Mexico near Salina Cruz in late June, though the remnants of Hurricane Fefa passed directly over Hawaii after it dissipated nearby. While its center remained offshore, the outer rainbands of Tropical Storm Ignacio produced torrential rainfall in Mexico. Flooding and mudslides killed 23 people: 10 in Guerrero, and 13 in Chihuahua.
This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, and dissipations during the season. It includes information that was not released during the season, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) has been included.
The time stamp for each event is first stated using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the 24-hour clock where 00:00 = midnight UTC. The NHC uses both UTC and the time zone where the center of the tropical cyclone was then located. Prior to 2015, two time zones were utilized in the Eastern Pacific basin: Pacific for the Eastern Pacific, and Hawaii−Aleutian for the Central Pacific. In this timeline, the respective area time is included in parentheses. Additionally, figures for maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (miles, or kilometers), following NHC practice. Direct wind observations are rounded to the nearest whole number. Atmospheric pressures are listed to the nearest millibar and nearest hundredth of an inch of mercury. __TOC__
Timeline of events
May May 15 The 1991 Eastern Pacific hurricane season officially begins.
May 16 06:00 UTC (11:00 p.m. PDT, May 15) at Tropical Depression forms from an area of unsettled weather about southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
May 17
00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, May 16) at Tropical Depression strengthens into Tropical Storm Andres about southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. 12:00 UTC (5:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Storm Andres attains its peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of , about southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
May 19 18:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Storm Andres weakens into a tropical depression about southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
May 20 00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, May 19) at Tropical Depression Andres is last noted as a tropical cyclone about southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, dissipating shortly thereafter.
June June 1 The 1991 Central Pacific hurricane season officially begins.
June 14 18:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Depression forms from a tropical wave about south-southwest of Acapulco, Guerrero.
June 16 12:00 UTC (5:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Depression forms from a tropical wave about south of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca.
June 17 00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, June 16) at Tropical Depression strengthens into Tropical Storm Blanca about south of the southern tip of the Baja Caliornia peninsula. 00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, June 16) at Tropical Depression strengthens into Tropical Storm Carlos about south-southwest of Salina Cruz.
June 18 18:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Storm Carlos strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale about west-southwest of Salina Cruz, or about south-southeast of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
June 20
00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, June 19) at Tropical Storm Blanca attains its peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of , about southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
June 21 00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, June 20) at Hurricane Carlos weakens into a tropical storm about south of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. 12:00 UTC (5:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Storm Blanca weakens into a tropical depression about west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. 18:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Storm Carlos restrengthens into a Category 1 hurricane about south-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
June 22 00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, June 21) at Tropical Depression Blanca is last noted as a tropical cyclone about west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, dissipating shortly thereafter. 12:00 UTC (5:00 a.m. PDT) at Hurricane Carlos strengthens to Category 2 intensity about southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. 12:00 UTC (5:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Depression forms from a tropical wave about south-southeast of Manzanillo, Colima.
June 23
00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, June 22) at Hurricane Carlos strengthens to Category 3 intensity about southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, making it the first major hurricane of the season.
June 24 00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, June 23) at Tropical Depression strengthens into Tropical Storm Delores about south-southeast of Manzanillo. 06:00 UTC (11:00 p.m. PDT, June 23) at Hurricane Carlos attains its peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of , about west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
June 25 06:00 UTC (11:00 p.m. PDT, June 24) at Hurricane Carlos weakens to Category 2 intensity about west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. 06:00 UTC (11:00 p.m. PDT, June 24) at Tropical Storm Delores strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane about south of Manzanillo. 18:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. PDT) at Hurricane Carlos weakens to Category 1 intensity about west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. 18:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. PDT) at Hurricane Delores attains its peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of , about west-southwest of Manzanillo.
June 26 06:00 UTC (11:00 p.m. PDT, June 25) at Hurricane Carlos weakens into a tropical storm about west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
June 27
00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, June 26) at Tropical Storm Carlos weakens into a tropical depression about west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. 00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, June 26) at Hurricane Delores weakens into a tropical storm about north-northwest of Socorro Island. 12:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT) at Tropical Depression Carlos is last noted as a tropical cyclone about west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, dissipating shortly thereafter.
June 28 00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, June 27) at Tropical Storm Delores weakens into a tropical depression about southwest of Socorro Island. 12:00 UTC (5:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Depression forms from an area of unsettled weather about southeast of Salina Cruz. 18:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Depression Delores is last noted as a tropical cyclone about south-southwest of Socorro Island, dissipating shortly thereafter.
June 29 12:00 UTC (5:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Depression attains its peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds of and an unknown central pressure, about south-southeast of Salina Cruz. Exact time and location unknownTropical Depression makes landfall near Salina Cruz at its peak intensity.
June 30
00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, June 29) at Tropical Depression is last noted as a tropical depression over land about west-northwest of Salina Cruz, dissipating shortly thereafter.
July July 15 12:00 UTC (5:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Depression forms from a tropical wave about south of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
July 16 00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, July 15) at Tropical Depression strengthens into Tropical Storm Enrique about south-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
July 17 06:00 UTC (11:00 p.m. PDT, July 16) at Tropical Storm Enrique strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane about southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. It simultaneously attains its peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of . 12:00 UTC (5:00 a.m. PDT) at Hurricane Enrique weakens into a tropical storm about southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
July 19
18:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Storm Enrique weakens into a tropical depression about west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
July 21 12:00 UTC (2:00 a.m. HST) at Tropical Depression Enrique crosses 140°W into the Central Pacific basin about east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.
July 22 00:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. HST, July 21) at The Central Pacific Hurricane Center stops tracking Tropical Depression Enrique about east of Hilo, though it remains a tropical cyclone.
July 26 12:00 UTC (2:00 a.m. HST) at Tropical Depression Enrique restrengthens into a tropical storm about north-northwest of Hilo.
July 28 00:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. HST, July 27) at Tropical Storm Enrique again weakens into a tropical depression about north-northwest of Hilo. 18:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. HST) at Tropical Depression Enrique again restrengthens into a tropical storm about east-northeast of Midway Atoll.
July 29 06:00 UTC (11:00 p.m. PDT, July 28) at Tropical Depression forms from a tropical wave about south-southeast of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. 18:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Depression strengthens into Tropical Storm Fefa about south of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
July 30 18:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. HST) at Tropical Storm Enrique weakens into a tropical depression for the third time about east of Midway Atoll.
July 31 12:00 UTC (2:00 a.m. HST) at Tropical Depression Enrique crosses the International Date Line into the Western Pacific basin about west-northwest of Midway Atoll, thereby becoming part of the annual typhoon season. 12:00 UTC (5:00 a.m. PDT) at Tropical Storm Fefa strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane about southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
August August 1
12:00 UTC (5:00 a.m. PDT) at Hurricane Fefa strengthens to Category 2 intensity about southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
August 2 00:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. PDT, August 1) at Hurricane Fefa strengthens to Category 3 intensity about west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, making it the second major hurricane of the season. It simultaneously attains its peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of .