The 1978 Pacific hurricane season was the first Pacific hurricane season to use both masculine and feminine names for tropical cyclones. It also began the modern practice of utilizing naming lists every six years. Despite lacking an El Niño, a common driver of enhanced activity in the East and Central Pacific basins, the 1978 season was active. It featured 19 named storms, 14 hurricanes, and 7 major hurricanes, the latter of which are Category 3 or stronger cyclones on the Saffir–Simpson scale. Within the confines of the Central Pacific basin, located between the International Date Line and 140°W, 13 tropical cyclones or their remnants were observed by forecasters at the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, a record number of occurrences at the time. Seasonal activity began on May 30 and ended on October 21, within the limits of a traditional hurricane season which begins on May 15 in the East Pacific and June 1 in the Central Pacific. The season ends on November 30 in both basins. These dates conventionally delimit the period during each year when most tropical cyclones form. The first system of the season, Aletta, made landfall on the Mexico coastline on May 31. Hurricanes Carlotta, Daniel, and Iva tracked into the Central Pacific as dissipating cyclones, where they produced a few inches of rainfall across the Hawaiian Islands. More substantive impacts came from Hurricane Fico, the longest-lived hurricane and the longest-tracked hurricane on record in the Central Pacific at the time. Large waves and rough seas caused severe damage to beachfront homes and forced the rescuing of stranded boaters offshore. Strong winds damaged trees and caused power outages. Damage across Hawaii totaled $200,000. In early September, the remnants of Hurricane Norman produced accumulating rain and snow across California, resulting in severe damage to its crops that totaled in excess of $300 million, in addition to killing eight people. In mid-October, Susan rapidly developed into a Category 4 hurricane over the Central Pacific, one of the strongest hurricanes on record there at the time. It persisted until October 21, marking an end to seasonal activity. Systems Hurricane Aletta A small tropical disturbance, originating within the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) across the Caribbean Sea, develoepd in the Gulf of Tehuantepec on May 27. The system increased in both size and organization over the coming days, and it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Aletta around 12:00 UTC on May 30.