Bud (2006)

A tropical wave that left Africa on 27 June moved across the Atlantic and reached the eastern North Pacific by 7 July. An area of low pressure formed along that wave on 9 July about 550 nautical miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico, and a tropical depression developed early on 11 July about 700 nmi south of Cabo San Lucas. The system moved steadily west‑northwest under a subtropical ridge, strengthened rapidly into a hurricane late on 11 July, became a major hurricane on 13 July, then moved over cooler waters and weakened, becoming a remnant low by 16 July and dissipating on 17 July about 650 nmi east‑northeast of Hawaii.

Bud remained well offshore for its entire life and made no landfalls. No coastal watches or warnings were required because the storm stayed far from land throughout its lifecycle.

The storm reached maximum sustained winds of 110 knots (about 127 mph) and a minimum central pressure near 953 mb at 0600 UTC on 13 July, corresponding to a Category 3 major hurricane on the Saffir‑Simpson scale. After that peak, Bud weakened rapidly as it encountered cooler waters and more stable air.

Because Bud stayed over open ocean, there were no reports of storm surge or rainfall impacts on land in the official record. Observations of the cyclone were limited to satellites and remote sensing (e.g., QuikSCAT, TRMM), and no specific surge heights or rain totals at cities or counties are reported.

There were no reports of damage or casualties—no direct or indirect deaths were recorded. The system’s notable aspects in the official record are its compact size, the rapid intensification to major hurricane strength while far offshore, and the subsequent rapid weakening. Forecasts had a relatively small track error at short lead times but larger errors at longer ranges, and intensity forecasts did not capture Bud’s rapid strengthening and rapid weakening.