The 2002 Pacific hurricane season officially started on May 15, 2002 in the eastern Pacific and June 1, 2002 in the central Pacific and lasted until November 30, 2002. These dates conventionally limit the portion of the year in which the northeastern Pacific is most tropical Cyclones form.
On May 24, a tropical wave formed in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, which was classified as Tropical Depression One-E on the same day . It slowly intensified into a tropical storm two days later and was named Alma . The storm was heading north, moving near a subtropical ridge over Mexico . Alma turned into a hurricane on May 28, and a major Category 3 hurricane just two days later, on May 30. Due to high wind shear and cool water, Alma weakened and degenerated back into tropical on June 1 Wave.
Alma was one of the earliest major hurricanes in the Eastern Pacific, and the second largest in May. The other stronger major hurricane was Hurricane Adolph in May 2001.
A tropical wave formed on July 20 and was classified as Tropical Depression Five-E on the same day . The depression intensified rapidly into a tropical storm that moved first north, then west, and finally north-west. On July 22nd, Douglas intensified into a hurricane and peaked with winds of 165 km / h in Category 2 the next day. The storm then began to weaken as it moved over cooler waters and re-formed eyewall. On July 24th, Douglas weakened to a tropical storm, and later that day to a tropical depression. Two days later the system degenerated again into a tropical wave.
On July 23, a tropical wave generated itself in Tropical Depression Six-E . It moved westward and reached storm force only 12 hours after it was formed. Elida grew rapidly, becoming a hurricane on July 24th and a major hurricane just 6 hours later. The hurricane continued its rapid intensification, intensifying into a Category 5 hurricane for 6 hours on July 25, the first Category 5 hurricane since Linda in 1997 . Despite warmer waters, Elida began to weaken due to cyclic eyewall formation , so that on July 27 the system was just a tropical storm and later degenerated to a residual low. The remaining depth dissolved over the open ocean about 860 km west of Los Angeles .
Elida experienced one of the fastest intensifications in the eastern Pacific to a hurricane. Only Linda in 1997 intensified faster. Elida had no direct impact on the land. However, it caused heavy waves along the coast of Mexico . Nobody was killed and there was no damage.
In the Eastern Pacific Basin, the 2002 storms were named using the following list:
Alma
Boris
Cristina
Douglas
Elida
Fausto
Genevieve
Hernan
Iselle
Julio
Kenna
Lowell
Marie (not taken)
Norbert (not awarded)
Odile (not awarded)
Polo (not awarded)
Rachel (not taken)
Simon (not taken)
Trudy (not taken)
Vance (not taken)
Winnie (not taken)
Xavier (not taken)
Yolanda (not awarded)
Zeke (not awarded)
Storms that form between the date line (180 ° west longitude) and 140 ° west longitude are named on the basis of a separate list. This list is not changed every year, but the names are used in order. The next three names are:
