Tropical Storm Blanca (1997)
Tropical Storm Blanca peaked at 40 kt in the Eastern Pacific between June 9, 1997 and June 12, 1997, with a lowest pressure of 1002 mb.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Tropical Storm Blanca, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 1997 season in the same basin behind it, and its wind and pressure hour by hour. Every fix is in the track table below.
The storm
- Basin
- Eastern Pacific
- Dates
- June 9, 1997 to June 12, 1997
- Peak strength
- Tropical Storm, 40 kt (46 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 1002 mb (29.59 inHg)
- Landfall
- No; closest approach 95 km (59 mi)
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 1.1
- Fastest the center moved
- 16 kt (18 mph)
- Identifier
- EP021997
Deaths and damage
The sources count different things and are not added together.
NOAA Storm Events
0 deaths (0 direct, 0 indirect)$16,000
What National Weather Service offices recorded county by county in 2 states and marine areas, in the United States only. Property and crop damage as each office estimated it, which is not a national loss total.
In the United States
NOAA’s Storm Events database, the record National Weather Service offices compile months after a storm, as compiled March 2026.
- Deaths
- 0 (0 direct, 0 indirect)
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $16,000
- Crop damage
- none recorded
- Events recorded
- 6 in 2 reports from 2 states and marine areas
State by state
| State or marine area | Deaths | Injuries | Damage | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 0 | 0 | $15,000 | 3 |
| New Mexico | 0 | 0 | $1,000 | 3 |
What was recorded
5 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail.
Wind reports
The strongest winds National Weather Service offices recorded with this storm. An estimated figure is a forecaster’s judgment from the damage, not an instrument reading.
| Wind | How | Where | State | Time (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 kt (66 mph) | Estimated | BIG SPRING | Texas | Jun 14, 23:08 |
| 57 kt (66 mph) | Estimated | CARLSBAD | New Mexico | Jun 14, 19:29 |
| 52 kt (60 mph) | Estimated | 3 E of COAHOMA | Texas | Jun 14, 23:37 |
What forecast offices wrote
From the Storm Events narratives, unedited.
A large area of showers was moving to the northeast through southeastern New Mexico with embedded thunderstorms. One of the storms that passed over Carlsbad had 65 mph wind gusts that snapped large tree limbs.
Eddy, New Mexico · Thunderstorm Wind · Jun 14, 19:29 UTC
This same area of showers and storms moved into Lea County and knocked down power lines and snapped off numerous tree limbs. Strong winds were reported across much of Lea County, but resulted in little damage.
Lea, New Mexico · Thunderstorm Wind · Jun 14, 20:30 UTC
As the line of storms moved eastward, the events began to change from hail events to wind events. In the city of Big Spring 65 mph winds were reported with large tree limbs broken and light aircraft at the airport overturned.
Howard, Texas · Thunderstorm Wind · Jun 14, 23:08 UTC
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 18:00 | 14.1N 94.5W | 30 kt | 1009 mb | Tropical depression |
| Jun 10, 00:00 | 14.6N 95.6W | 35 kt | 1005 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jun 10, 06:00 | 14.8N 96.9W | 40 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jun 10, 12:00 | 14.8N 98.4W | 40 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jun 10, 18:00 | 15.0N 100.0W | 40 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jun 11, 00:00 | 15.0N 101.5W | 40 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jun 11, 06:00 | 15.2N 102.9W | 35 kt | 1004 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jun 11, 12:00 | 15.5N 104.3W | 35 kt | 1005 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jun 11, 18:00 | 15.8N 105.7W | 35 kt | 1006 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jun 12, 00:00 | 16.2N 107.2W | 30 kt | 1007 mb | Tropical depression |
| Jun 12, 06:00 | 16.6N 108.7W | 25 kt | 1008 mb | Tropical depression |
Other Eastern Pacific storms of 1997
- Tropical Storm AndresEastern Pacific · 1997
- Unnamed tropical depressionEastern Pacific · 1997
- Tropical Storm CarlosEastern Pacific · 1997
- Unnamed tropical depressionEastern Pacific · 1997
- Hurricane DoloresEastern Pacific · 1997
- Hurricane EnriqueEastern Pacific · 1997
- Hurricane FeliciaEastern Pacific · 1997
- Unnamed tropical depressionEastern Pacific · 1997
- Hurricane GuillermoEastern Pacific · 1997
- Tropical Storm HildaEastern Pacific · 1997
- Unnamed tropical depressionEastern Pacific · 1997
- Tropical Storm IgnacioEastern Pacific · 1997
- Hurricane JimenaEastern Pacific · 1997
- Hurricane OliwaEastern Pacific · 1997
- Tropical Storm KevinEastern Pacific · 1997
- Hurricane LindaEastern Pacific · 1997
- Tropical Storm MartyEastern Pacific · 1997
- Hurricane NoraEastern Pacific · 1997
- Tropical Storm EllaEastern Pacific · 1997
- Tropical Storm OlafEastern Pacific · 1997
- Hurricane PaulineEastern Pacific · 1997
- Unnamed tropical depressionEastern Pacific · 1997
- Unnamed tropical stormEastern Pacific · 1997
- Hurricane RickEastern Pacific · 1997
- Hurricane PakaEastern Pacific · 1997
What this means
A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.
Sources
Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.