Hector — 2024

Hector formed from a tropical wave that likely began near Africa in early August and redeveloped in the far eastern Pacific. A well-defined low formed on 22 August, and the system became a tropical depression at 0600 UTC 25 August while about 695 nautical miles southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. Hector moved generally west-northwestward across the central eastern Pacific and remained a short-lived system, dissipating by 0600 UTC 29 August. Hector did not make any landfalls. It remained well offshore throughout its life, and no coastal watches or warnings were issued. Hector reached its peak intensity from 0000–0600 UTC 27 August with maximum sustained winds of 50 kt (about 58 mph) and an estimated minimum central pressure of 998 mb. This intensity corresponds to a moderate tropical storm (below hurricane strength). There were no reports of storm surge or significant rainfall impacts from Hector in the report. No ship or land-based observations of tropical-storm-force winds were recorded, and the report contains no specific surge heights or rainfall totals for cities or counties. No damage or casualties were reported in association with Hector; the report lists zero deaths and no reported destruction. The storm’s impacts were negligible because it stayed over open water. Forecasts anticipated Hector’s formation several days in advance, though genesis occurred a little later and farther west than some early outlooks indicated. Official track and intensity forecasts performed well relative to recent averages, with track errors comparable to or lower than 5‑year means at most forecast times and intensity errors smaller than recent averages.