The 2014 Pacific hurricane season officially started on May 15 and will end on November 30. The season has almost gotten off to an early start, with a cluster of thunderstorms festering off the coast this month.
However, only three storms – in 1990, 2012 and 2013 – have ever been recorded before the official start of the season, according to the Weather Channel. The first hurricane typically forms around June 26. Many Pacific hurricanes never threaten land, unlike hurricanes in the Atlantic. But, historically, the Pacific basin is more active.
The possibility of El Niño conditions in the South Pacific this summer could provoke a more intense hurricane season, experts warn. (El Niño is a band of warm ocean water temperatures that periodically develops off the Pacific coast of South America.)
The names of this year’s hurricanes are: Amanda, Boris, Cristina, Douglas, Elida, Fausto, Genevieve, Hernan, Iselle, Julio, Karina, Lowell, Marie, Norbert, Odile, Polo, Rachel, Simon, Trudy, Vance, Winnie, Xavier, Yolanda, Zeke. Once a hurricane becomes extremely costly or deadly, the name is retired.