The origins of Hurricane Linda are believed to have been in a
tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa on August 24. The wave tracked westward across the
Atlantic Ocean and
Caribbean Sea without
development. An area of
convection developed to the west of
Panama in the
Pacific Ocean on September 6, which is believed to have been related to the tropical wave. The system continued westward, and within three days of entering the basin, a poorly defined
circulation formed.
Banding features began to develop, and at around 1200
UTC on September 9, the system organized into Tropical Depression Fourteen-E. At the time, it was approximately south of the Mexican city of
Manzanillo. On becoming a tropical cyclone, the depression moved northwestward at , partially under the influence of a
mid- to upper-level low near the southern tip of the
Baja California Peninsula. Deep convection and banding features increased, and the depression intensified into a tropical storm early on September 10. Upon being designated, the cyclone was
named Linda by the
National Hurricane Center (NHC). As upper-level
outflow became well-established, the storm began to strengthen quickly. By September 11, an intermittent
eye appeared, by which time the NHC estimated that Linda reached hurricane status. The storm began to
rapidly intensify; its small eye became well-defined and surrounded by very cold convection. By early September 12, Hurricane Linda reached
Category 5 status on the
Saffir-Simpson scale, and around 0600 UTC, Linda attained estimated peak winds of about southeast of
Socorro Island. The hurricane's pressure is estimated at , making Linda the most intense Pacific hurricane at the time. Shortly after reaching peak intensity, Hurricane Linda passed near Socorro Island as a Category 5 hurricane. Around that time,
tropical cyclone forecast models suggested that the hurricane would turn toward southern California due to an approaching upper-level trough. Had Linda struck the state, it would have been much weaker at that time, The
maximum potential intensity for Linda was , lower than its actual intensity. The 1997 season was affected by the
1997–98 El Niño event, which brought warmer than normal
water temperatures and contributed to the high intensity of several storms. Hurricane Linda occurred about a month after the similarly powerful
Hurricane Guillermo, which also reached Category 5 status. The passage of Linda cooled the waters in the region, causing
Hurricane Nora to weaken when it passed through the area on September 21. == Preparations and impact ==