A tropical low formed about 745 nautical miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California and became a tropical depression around 1200 UTC on 6 October 2012. It strengthened to Tropical Storm Olivia later that day and moved generally westward and then northward before strong upper-level winds sheared the storm apart. Olivia weakened rapidly to a remnant low by early 9 October and dissipated on 10 October after about four days as a tropical cyclone.
Olivia remained well offshore for its entire life; it did not prompt any tropical storm or hurricane watches or warnings, and it did not make any landfalls.
The storm’s peak intensity was estimated at 50 knots (about 58 mph) with a minimum central pressure near 997 mb, making it a moderate tropical storm but not a hurricane. Peak winds were reached late on 7 October and maintained into early 8 October.
Because Olivia stayed far from land, there were no reports of storm surge or any measured coastal surge heights associated with the system. There also were no reports of rainfall totals tied to the storm on land in the NHC record.
No deaths or damage were reported in connection with Olivia. The cyclone’s formation was under-forecast; the pre-storm disturbance was first given a low chance of development only about 24 hours before genesis. Official track and intensity forecasts had larger-than-normal errors in some forecast periods, and several numerical guidance models outperformed the official intensity forecasts.
Paid members can generate summaries tailored to the counties of their choice. The Olivia TCR covers impacts across many counties and states — a Pinellas County resident doesn't need the Asheville detail, and a Buncombe County resident doesn't need the Tampa surge data.
Upgrade for county-specific summariesSummary above produced from the National Hurricane Center's official post-storm Tropical Cyclone Report. Read the full report for casualty lists, damage estimates by area, forecast critique, and detailed meteorological discussion:
📄 Read NHC's full report on Olivia → (opens at nhc.noaa.gov)| Time (UTC) | Status | Lat | Lon | Winds (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-10-06 12:00 | TD | 13.50 | -118.00 | 30 | 1006 | |
| 2012-10-06 18:00 | TS | 13.70 | -119.30 | 35 | 1004 | |
| 2012-10-07 00:00 | TS | 13.90 | -120.10 | 45 | 1000 | |
| 2012-10-07 06:00 | TS | 14.20 | -120.70 | 50 | 998 | |
| 2012-10-07 12:00 | TS | 14.60 | -120.80 | 50 | 997 | |
| 2012-10-07 18:00 | TS | 15.30 | -120.80 | 50 | 997 | |
| 2012-10-08 00:00 | TS | 15.90 | -120.80 | 50 | 998 | |
| 2012-10-08 06:00 | TS | 16.20 | -120.90 | 50 | 999 | |
| 2012-10-08 12:00 | TS | 16.50 | -121.20 | 45 | 1002 | |
| 2012-10-08 18:00 | TS | 16.30 | -121.20 | 40 | 1005 | |
| 2012-10-09 00:00 | LO | 15.90 | -121.30 | 30 | 1007 | |
| 2012-10-09 06:00 | LO | 15.40 | -121.70 | 30 | 1008 | |
| 2012-10-09 12:00 | LO | 15.00 | -122.20 | 25 | 1009 | |
| 2012-10-09 18:00 | LO | 14.70 | -122.70 | 25 | 1009 | |
| 2012-10-10 00:00 | LO | 14.30 | -123.50 | 20 | 1009 | |
| 2012-10-10 06:00 | LO | 14.00 | -124.30 | 20 | 1009 | |
| 2012-10-10 12:00 | LO | 13.70 | -125.10 | 20 | 1009 |
Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 best-track database (nhc.noaa.gov/data). Data is in the public domain. Best-track positions and intensities are post-storm reanalysis estimates and may differ from real-time advisories.