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All storm pages · 1992 Pacific season

Hurricane Virgil 1992

Category 4 hurricane · Eastern and Central Pacific · October 1 to October 5, 1992

No storm in the record came ashore in Michoacán with stronger winds than Virgil's 110 mph landfall on October 4, 1992; 9 storms have a landfall record there. Within 24 hours ending October 3, its winds rose by 85 mph (75 knots), tied for the sixth-largest one-day gain in the eastern and central Pacific record. With a peak of 130 mph, it ranked the seventh-strongest of the 30 storms of the 1992 season.

Track of Virgil (1992) from the best-track record, coloured by strength15°N20°N110°W105°W100°WColimaPuerto VallartaMichoacán, 110 mphPeak 130 mphFirst recordDepressionTropical stormCategory 1Category 2Category 3Category 400 and 12 UTCLandfall

Strength over time

Maximum sustained wind of Virgil (1992) over time, in mphTSCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 404080120160Oct 2Oct 3Oct 4Oct 5mph
  1. First record (tropical depression) 235 miles south of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
  2. Tropical storm 185 miles south-southwest of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
  3. Hurricane 170 miles south-southwest of Petatlán, Guerrero, Mexico
  4. Major hurricane 140 miles southwest of Petatlán, Guerrero, Mexico
  5. Peak 140 miles southwest of Petatlán, Guerrero, Mexico; lowest pressure 948 mb
  6. Landfall Michoacán
  7. Last record (tropical depression) 150 miles west of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Against every Pacific storm since 1949

Peak sustained wind130 mph · tied 122nd of 1,26225 mph215 mph
Lowest central pressure948 mb · tied 108th of 754872 mb1009 mb
Accumulated cyclone energy8.0 · 360th of 1,1540.185.3
Days as a tropical or subtropical cyclone4.5 days · tied 625th of 1,2620.0 days29.8 days

In the 1992 season

04080120160Virgil

Storm 25 of 30 in 1992, hurricane 15 of 16; it formed after Tina and before Winifred. Virgil produced 3% of the season's accumulated cyclone energy. See the season.

Places the center passed

The center came within 50 miles of 6 towns or cities of 10,000 people or more while the system was tropical. Distances are to the interpolated track line, not the storm's edge.

PlaceClosestWind thenDate
Tecoman, Colima, Mexico4 mi65 mphOctober 4
Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico13 mi50 mphOctober 4
Autlan, Jalisco, Mexico14 mi35 mphOctober 4
Colima, Mexico26 mi60 mphOctober 4
Coalcoman, Michoacán, Mexico37 mi85 mphOctober 4
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico46 mi30 mphOctober 5

Every storm within 50 miles of Colima, Mexico

Similar landfalls in Michoacán

Storms whose strongest landfall record in Michoacán came closest to Virgil's 110 mph:

  • Alma (1996)105 mph, June 24, 1996
  • Dolores (2021)70 mph, June 19, 2021
  • Manuel (2013)70 mph, September 15, 2013
  • John (2024)60 mph, September 27, 2024

All 9 storms with a landfall record in Michoacán

Also peaked at 130 mph

Of 48 storms from other Pacific seasons, the nearest in time:

  • Jimena (1991)945 mb, no landfall record
  • Dora (1993)945 mb, no landfall record
  • Keoni (1993)no pressure recorded, no landfall record
  • Greg (1993)948 mb, no landfall record