Pacific Hurricane

A Pacific hurricane or tropical storm is a tropical cyclone that develops in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere. For organizational purposes, the northern Pacific Ocean is divided into three regions: the eastern (North America to 140°W), central (140°W to 180°), and western (180° to 100°E). A Pacific hurricane, then, is a tropical cyclone in the northern Pacific Ocean east of 180°, or in the southern Pacific Ocean east of 160°E. Identical phenomena in the western north Pacific are called typhoons. This separation between the two basins is convenient, however, as tropical cyclones rarely form in the central north Pacific and few cross the dateline.