2003 Central Pacific hurricane season
Jun 1, 2003 – Nov 30, 2003 · Season ended
The 2003 Central Pacific hurricane season produced 1 named storm, 0 hurricanes and 0 major hurricanes, against a 1991–2020 average of 1.6, 0.8 and 0.5. Its accumulated cyclone energy was 2, 10% of the average.
2003 season at a glance
- Named storms: 1 (1991–2020 average 1.6).
- Hurricanes (64 kt+): 0 (average 0.8).
- Major, 96 kt+: 0 (average 0.5).
- Accumulated cyclone energy: 2.4, 10% of the 24 average.
- Named-storm days: 3.5, counting each six-hourly fix at 34 kt or more as a quarter day.
- First named storm: Yanyan, January 17.
- First hurricane: none.
- Last storm to dissipate: Tropical Depression 1C, August 17.
- 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 2003 season
- Yanyan: Yanyan formed in the Central Pacific in January 2003 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 987 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 10 days.
- TD 1C: This system formed in the Central Pacific in August 2003 and peaked as a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1009 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 6 days.
Each summary is built from the storm’s best track.
Strongest storm of 2003
Tropical Storm Yanyan was the strongest storm of the season, peaking at 60 mph (95 km/h), with a lowest pressure of 987 mb, on January 18. It stayed below hurricane strength (64 kt, 74 mph).
43 Central Pacific storms since 1980 peaked higher, and 3 matched it. It produced 100% of the season’s accumulated cyclone energy.
Landfalls in 2003
No storm in the 2003 Central Pacific hurricane season made landfall, according to the best track.
How 2003 ranks since 1980
The season ranks 21st of 47 Central Pacific seasons since 1980 for named storms (tied with 15 other seasons), 27th for hurricanes (tied with 20 other seasons) and 29th for accumulated cyclone energy.
The record since 1980 is 7 named storms, in 2015, and the highest ACE is 167, in 1992.
2003 storm names
The 2003 season used 1 name: Yanyan.
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.
2003 season FAQ
How many named storms were there in 2003?
The 2003 Central Pacific hurricane season had 1 named storm, 0 hurricanes and 0 major hurricanes, 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 Yanyan and the last was Yanyan.
What was the strongest storm of 2003?
Tropical Storm Yanyan. It peaked at 60 mph (95 km/h, 50 kt) with a lowest pressure of 987 mb on January 18. It stayed below hurricane strength (64 kt, 74 mph). 43 Central Pacific storms since 1980 peaked higher. It produced 100% of the season’s accumulated cyclone energy.
When did the 2003 season end?
The official season ended on November 30, 2003, as it does every year in the Atlantic, eastern Pacific and Central Pacific. The last system, Tropical Depression 1C, dissipated on August 17. Storms that form in December still count toward that year: 2 Central Pacific storms since 1980 reached tropical-storm strength in December.