2019 Central Pacific hurricane season
Jun 1, 2019 – Nov 30, 2019 · Season ended
The 2019 Central Pacific hurricane season produced 2 named storms, 1 hurricane and 1 major hurricane, against a 1991–2020 average of 1.6, 0.8 and 0.5. Its accumulated cyclone energy was 15, 63% of the average.
2019 season at a glance
- Named storms: 2 (1991–2020 average 1.6).
- Hurricanes (64 kt+): 1 (average 0.8).
- Major, 96 kt+: 1 (average 0.5).
- Accumulated cyclone energy: 14.9, 63% 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: Faxai, September 2.
- First hurricane: Faxai, September 6.
- First major storm: Faxai, September 7.
- Last storm to dissipate: Ema, October 16.
- All systems tracked: 2, every one of which reached 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 2019 season
- Faxai: Faxai formed in the Central Pacific in August 2019 and peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 940 mb. It made 2 landfalls, first near Miura, Japan and last near Narita, Japan. The system was tracked for 12 days.
- Ema: Ema formed in the Central Pacific in October 2019 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1003 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 5 days.
Each summary is built from the storm’s best track.
Strongest storm of 2019
Hurricane Faxai was the strongest storm of the season, peaking at 130 mph (215 km/h), with a lowest pressure of 940 mb, on September 7. That is Category 4 strength on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
12 Central Pacific storms since 1980 peaked higher, and 4 matched it. It produced 95% of the season’s accumulated cyclone energy.
Landfalls in 2019
1 of the season’s 2 systems made landfall, 1 of them at hurricane strength. Each landfall point is listed with the nearest town and the wind at that moment.
How 2019 ranks since 1980
The season ranks 8th of 47 Central Pacific seasons since 1980 for named storms (tied with 12 other seasons), 8th for hurricanes (tied with 18 other seasons) and 17th for accumulated cyclone energy.
The record since 1980 is 7 named storms, in 2015, and the highest ACE is 167, in 1992.
2019 storm names
The 2019 season used 2 names: Faxai, Ema.
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.
2019 season FAQ
How many named storms were there in 2019?
The 2019 Central Pacific hurricane season had 2 named storms, 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 Faxai and the last was Ema.
What was the strongest storm of 2019?
Hurricane Faxai. It peaked at 130 mph (215 km/h, 115 kt) with a lowest pressure of 940 mb on September 7. That is Category 4 strength on the Saffir-Simpson scale. 12 Central Pacific storms since 1980 peaked higher. It produced 95% of the season’s accumulated cyclone energy.
When did the 2019 season end?
The official season ended on November 30, 2019, as it does every year in the Atlantic, eastern Pacific and Central Pacific. The last system, Ema, dissipated on October 16. Storms that form in December still count toward that year: 2 Central Pacific storms since 1980 reached tropical-storm strength in December.