Linda (2009)

A tropical depression formed from a tropical wave that crossed Central America and entered the eastern North Pacific on 28 August, with a closed low and enough organized thunderstorms to be designated Tropical Depression Fifteen-E on 7 September 2009 about 980 nautical miles west‑southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. The system became Tropical Storm Linda later on 7 September and moved generally westward then northwestward as steering currents changed. Linda strengthened into a hurricane on 9 September, reached peak intensity early on 10 September, began weakening that day, became a tropical storm by 11 September, and degenerated to a remnant low by 12 September. The remnant low persisted and eventually dissipated well east of the Hawaiian Islands on 15 September.

Linda did not make landfall at any time. Its development, peak, weakening, and dissipation all occurred over open waters of the eastern and central North Pacific; there were no direct interactions with land.

The cyclone’s maximum sustained winds peaked at 70 knots (80.6 mph) from 0000 to 1200 UTC on 10 September, with an estimated minimum central pressure of 985 millibars. That peak corresponds to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir‑Simpson scale.

Because Linda stayed over open water, there were no storm surge reports associated with the storm. There were also no land rainfall totals reported in the NHC report; no coastal cities or counties recorded rainfall or surge impacts tied to Linda.

There were no reports of damage or casualties—no direct or indirect deaths—associated with Hurricane Linda. The storm’s impacts on land were effectively nil because it remained far offshore throughout its life.

Noteworthy details include a brief, small eye observed around peak intensity that satellite microwave data indicated was displaced about 20 nautical miles northeast of the low‑level center due to increasing southwesterly wind shear. The National Hurricane Center’s genesis and track forecasts for Linda performed well overall relative to recent climatology, and intensity forecasts were generally better than five‑year means for most forecast periods.