The 2023 Pacific hurricane season was an active and destructive Pacific hurricane season. In the Eastern Pacific basin, 17 named storms formed; 10 of those became hurricanes, of which 8 strengthened into major hurricanes – double the seasonal average. In the Central Pacific basin, no tropical cyclones formed, though four entered into the basin from the east. Collectively, the season had an above-normal accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) value of approximately 168 units. This season saw the return of El Niño and its associated warmer sea surface temperatures in the basin, which fueled the rapid intensification of several powerful storms. It officially began on May 15, 2023 in the Eastern Pacific, and on June 1 in the Central; both ended on November 30. These dates, adopted by convention, historically describe the period in each year when most tropical cyclogenesis occurs in these regions of the Pacific.

Tropical Storm Max was the first of four tropical cyclones to make landfall along the Pacific Coast of Mexico in October 2023. The sixteenth tropical depression and thirteenth named storm of the 2023 Pacific hurricane season, Max originated from a trough that developed to the southwest of Central America on October 3, 2023. Showers and thunderstorms associated with the disturbance gradually became better organized over the following days as it moved west-northwestwards to the south of Mexico. The disturbance was designated Potential Tropical Cyclone Sixteen-E on October 7 by the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC), as it had not yet become a tropical cyclone but was threatening the southwestern coast of Mexico. The disturbance developed a more well-defined circulation the following day and developed into a tropical depression; the depression strengthened into a tropical storm late on October 8 and was assigned the name Max. Max progressed northward toward the coast of Mexico and quickly strengthened; the storm made landfall near Puerto Vicente, Guerrero at 18:00 UTC on October 9 just below hurricane strength. Max rapidly weakened as it moved inland across southern Mexico and dissipated the following morning over the region's mountainous terrain.