1996 Central Pacific hurricane season
Jun 1, 1996 – Nov 30, 1996 · Season ended
The 1996 Central Pacific hurricane season produced 1 named storm, 1 hurricane and 1 major hurricane, against a 1991–2020 average of 1.6, 0.8 and 0.5. Its accumulated cyclone energy was 43, 179% of the average.
1996 season at a glance
- Named storms: 1 (1991–2020 average 1.6).
- Hurricanes (64 kt+): 1 (average 0.8).
- Major, 96 kt+: 1 (average 0.5).
- Accumulated cyclone energy: 42.6, 179% of the 24 average.
- Named-storm days: 9.0, counting each six-hourly fix at 34 kt or more as a quarter day.
- First named storm: Yates, September 22.
- First hurricane: Yates, September 23.
- First major storm: Yates, September 23.
- Last storm to dissipate: Yates, October 3.
- All systems tracked: 2, including 1 that stayed below tropical-storm strength.
Counts use 1-minute best-track winds: named storms reached 34 kt (39 mph), the next column 64 kt (74 mph) and major storms 96 kt (111 mph).
Every storm of the 1996 season
- TD 1C: This system formed in the Central Pacific in September 1996 and peaked as a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 km/h). It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 5 days.
- Yates: Yates formed in the Central Pacific in September 1996 and peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 935 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 16 days.
Each summary is built from the storm’s best track.
Strongest storm of 1996
Hurricane Yates was the strongest storm of the season, peaking at 150 mph (240 km/h), with a lowest pressure of 935 mb, on September 25. That is Category 4 strength on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
6 Central Pacific storms since 1980 peaked higher, and 2 matched it. It produced 100% of the season’s accumulated cyclone energy.
Landfalls in 1996
No storm in the 1996 Central Pacific hurricane season made landfall, according to the best track.
How 1996 ranks since 1980
The season ranks 21st of 47 Central Pacific seasons since 1980 for named storms (tied with 15 other seasons), 8th for hurricanes (tied with 18 other seasons) and 8th for accumulated cyclone energy.
The record since 1980 is 7 named storms, in 2015, and the highest ACE is 167, in 1992.
1996 storm names
The 1996 season used 1 name: Yates.
1 system was tracked without a name and is listed by number.
Central Pacific names are used in order across years from four lists, so a season picks up where the last one stopped. See the Central Pacific name lists.
1996 season FAQ
How many named storms were there in 1996?
The 1996 Central Pacific hurricane season had 1 named storm, 1 hurricane and 1 major hurricane, from 2 systems tracked in all. The 1991–2020 average is 1.6 named storms, 0.8 at 64 kt or more and 0.5 major per season. The first to form was Yates and the last was Yates.
What was the strongest storm of 1996?
Hurricane Yates. It peaked at 150 mph (240 km/h, 130 kt) with a lowest pressure of 935 mb on September 25. That is Category 4 strength on the Saffir-Simpson scale. 6 Central Pacific storms since 1980 peaked higher. It produced 100% of the season’s accumulated cyclone energy.
When did the 1996 season end?
The official season ended on November 30, 1996, as it does every year in the Atlantic, eastern Pacific and Central Pacific. The last system, Yates, dissipated on October 3. Storms that form in December still count toward that year: 2 Central Pacific storms since 1980 reached tropical-storm strength in December.