Hurricane Gilbert
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
 Hurricane Gilbert near maximum intensity. |
|
| Duration | Sept. 8 - 19, 1988 |
| Highest winds | 185 mph (295 km/h) sustained |
| Damages | $7-9 billion (2005 dollars) |
| Fatalities | 318 direct |
| Areas affected | Windward Islands, Venezuela, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Central America, Yucatan Peninsula, northern Mexico, Texas, South Central United States |
| Part of the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Gilbert is the second most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic Basin. It wreaked havoc in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico for nearly 9 days during the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season. It killed 318 people and caused many billions of dollars in damages over the course of its path.
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Storm history
Tropical Depression Twelve formed on September 8, 1988 near the Windward Islands. While feeding off the warm waters (81°F/27°C) of the Caribbean, the storm quickly strengthened into Tropical Storm Gilbert on September 9, becoming the seventh named storm of the season. It strengthened even more and became a major hurricane on September 10, the climatological peak of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Gilbert's west-northwesterly movement brought it to first make landfall in Jamaica. The eyewall crossed completely over Jamaica on September 12 with 150 mph (240 km/h) winds, putting it at Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the first hurricane to make direct landfall in Jamaica since the 1951 season.
Gilbert moved off the coast of Jamaica only to strengthen rapidly. The hurricane reached the lower edge of Category 5 while slamming into Grand Cayman.
| Ten most intense Atlantic hurricanes Intensity is measured solely by central pressure |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Hurricane | Year | Minimum pressure |
| 1 | Wilma | 2005 | 882 mbar (hPa) |
| 2 | Gilbert | 1988 | 888 mbar (hPa) |
| 3 | Labor Day | 1935 | 892 mbar (hPa) |
| 4 | Rita | 2005 | 897 mbar (hPa) |
| 5 | Allen | 1980 | 899 mbar (hPa) |
| 6 | Katrina | 2005 | 902 mbar (hPa) |
| 7 | Camille | 1969 | 905 mbar (hPa) |
| 8 | Mitch | 1998 | 905 mbar (hPa) |
| 9 | Ivan | 2004 | 910 mbar (hPa) |
| 10 | Janet | 1955 | 914 mbar (hPa) |
| Source: The Weather Channel | |||
Extreme intensification continued until Gilbert reached a minimum pressure of 888 mbar (hPa), which was the lowest pressure ever recorded in the history of the western hemisphere and made Gilbert the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record until it was surpassed by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. At its peak, Gilbert sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) (although Hurricanes Camille and Allen had higher wind speed, hurricane intensity is measured in terms of pressure).
Gilbert made landfall for a second time in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on September 14 as a Category 5 hurricane, making it the first Category 5 to make landfall since Camille 19 years earlier in 1969. Major hurricane status was held as the storm made landfall for a third time near La Pesca, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on September 16. Gilbert spawned 29 tornadoes in Texas on September 18 and caused flooding in the midwest. Gilbert lost its strength when it merged with a frontal boundary in Texas on September 19.
Impact
| Deaths from Gilbert (totals may not match) |
|
|---|---|
| Region | Deaths |
| Mexico | 202 |
| Jamaica | 45 |
| Haiti | 30 |
| Guatemala | 12 |
| Venezuela | 5 |
| Dominican Republic | 5 |
| United States | 3 |
| Costa Rica | 2 |
| Nicaragua | 2 |
| Total | 318 |
Gilbert claimed 318 lives, mostly in Mexico. Exact monetary damage figures are not available, but the total for all areas affected by Gilbert is estimated to be near $5 billion (1988 USD).
The name Gilbert was retired in the spring of 1989, and was replaced by Gordon in the 1994 season.
American journalist Jules Siegel was living in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico (near Cancun) with his family. The hurricane hit Puerto Morelos dead-on, but the entire town population was evacuated to Cancun. Siegel's account of this experience was published in a local newspaper in Spanish and is available in English on his website.
