The 1969 Pacific hurricane season had below average tropical cyclone activity, with only ten named storms forming; most of these storms never approached land. Only four named storms reached hurricane strength, of which none became a major hurricane. It officially started on May 15, 1969, in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and ended on November 30, 1969. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form east of this region of the Pacific. The first named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Ava, developed on July 1, and the last, Hurricane Jennifer, dissipated on October 23. At the time, Ava was the latest forming first named storm in any Eastern Pacific season on record.

A Pacific hurricane is a tropical cyclone that develops within the northeastern and central Pacific Ocean to the east of 180°W, north of the equator. For tropical cyclone warning purposes, the northern Pacific is divided into three regions: the eastern, central, and western, while the southern Pacific is divided into 2 sections, the Australian region and the southern Pacific basin between 160°E and 120°W. Identical phenomena in the western north Pacific are called typhoons. This separation between the two basins has a practical convenience, however, as tropical cyclones rarely form in the central north Pacific due to high vertical wind shear, and few cross the dateline.