Tropical Depression Five-E formed south of Mexico on July 26. Later that day, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Darby, and only four hours later, at 2 am (0900 UTC) on July 27, is upgraded to Hurricane Darby. It moved due west at this point, aiming directly for the big island of Hawaii. It reached Category 3 strength on July 29, the first major hurricane in the northeastern Pacific basin since 2002. However, long before it reached Hawaii, it lost strength and dissipated on the evening of July 31.