All seasons · Eastern and Central Pacific
1981 Pacific hurricane season
The 1981 Pacific season has 15 storms in the best-track record; 15 reached tropical-storm strength and 8 became hurricanes, 1 of them major. Its accumulated cyclone energy of 72.8 is the 24th-lowest of the 77 seasons in the eastern and central Pacific record since 1949. Norma was the strongest, peaking at 125 mph as a Category 3 hurricane. Like most Pacific seasons before 1989, it has no landfall records in the file. The first record is dated May 30, the last October 30.
Storm by storm
Formation peaked in August and October, with 4 storms each. Greg lasted longest, 9.5 days as a tropical or subtropical system. Norma contributed the most energy, 15% of the season's ACE.
| Storm | Dates | Peak | Strength | Lowest | Landfalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian | May 30 – Jun 4 | 45 mph | Tropical storm | – | – |
| Beatriz | Jun 28 – Jul 4 | 85 mph | Category 1 | – | – |
| Calvin | Jul 4–9 | 50 mph | Tropical storm | – | – |
| Dora | Jul 10–16 | 90 mph | Category 1 | – | – |
| Eugene | Jul 16–21 | 50 mph | Tropical storm | – | – |
| Fernanda | Aug 6–13 | 105 mph | Category 2 | – | – |
| Greg | Aug 13–22 | 75 mph | Category 1 | – | – |
| Hilary | Aug 21–28 | 85 mph | Category 1 | – | – |
| Irwin | Aug 27–31 | 50 mph | Tropical storm | – | – |
| Jova | Sep 14–21 | 85 mph | Category 1 | – | – |
| Knut | Sep 19–21 | 65 mph | Tropical storm | – | – |
| Lidia | Oct 6–8 | 50 mph | Tropical storm | – | – |
| Max | Oct 7–10 | 50 mph | Tropical storm | – | – |
| Norma | Oct 8–12 | 125 mph | Category 3 | – | – |
| Otis | Oct 24–30 | 85 mph | Category 1 | – | – |
Against other Pacific seasons
Accumulated cyclone energy of every season; the red bar is 1981.