Hurricane Ele (was also Typhoon Ele, international designation: 0217, and JTWC designation: 02C) was a powerful and long lived hurricane which formed in the central Pacific basin before crossing the International Date Line and being reclassified a typhoon. Ele was also the strongest hurricane in the central Pacific in the 2002 Pacific hurricane season, packing winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) as it moved out of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center's area of responsibility. The storm traversed the Pacific Ocean for 15 days before dissipating over open waters.