Pauline is a retired Pacific hurricane name. The World Meteorological Organization took it off the lists after the 1997 storm, so no future storm in the eastern or central Pacific will be called Pauline. Its place on the list now belongs to Pamela, on the 2027 list. Since 1985, two storms have been named Pauline; the strongest, in 1997, peaked as a Category 4 hurricane.
Yes. Pauline is on NHC’s list of retired eastern and central Pacific names because of the 1997 storm. It is one of 22 names retired there since 1965 (Tropical Cyclone Naming History and Retired Names).
A name is retired when a storm was so deadly or costly that using the name again would be insensitive; the World Meteorological Organization then picks a new name with the same first letter at its annual meeting.
It won’t be. Retired names are not used again on the eastern and central Pacific lists. Its place on the list, the P slot, now belongs to Pamela, on the 2027 East Pacific list, which is next used in 2027.
Pauline formed in the East Pacific in October 1997 and peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 948 mb. It made landfall near Río Grande, Mexico. The system was tracked for 5 days.
Hurricane Pauline (1997): track and historyPauline formed in the East Pacific in August 1985 and peaked as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 13 days.
Hurricane Pauline (1985): track and history| Storm | Landfall near | Date (UTC) | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pauline 1997 | Río Grande, Mexico | 1997-10-09 00:00 | 110 mph / 175 km/h |
Names go in alphabetical order, one per storm, as each storm reaches tropical-storm strength (39 mph, 34 knots), so a storm’s place in its season decides its name.
In both 1997 and 1985, Pauline was the 16th name used in the East Pacific season.
The most recent was Hurricane Pauline in 1997, in the East Pacific. It formed on October 5, peaked at 130 mph (215 km/h) and lasted 5 days. It made landfall near Río Grande, Mexico. It was the 16th name used in that East Pacific season. Before that, the name was used in 1985.
Hurricane Pauline in 1997 was the strongest, peaking as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 130 mph (215 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 948 mb. It formed in the East Pacific in October and made landfall near Río Grande, Mexico. The weakest of the two, in 1985, peaked at 85 mph (140 km/h).