Hurricane Mitch

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Hurricane Mitch

Hurricane Mitch at peak intensity
Duration	Oct. 22 – Nov. 5, 1998
Highest winds	180 mph (290 km/h) sustained
Damages	$6–7 billion (2005 dollars)
Fatalities	9,086–18,000 direct (deadliest Atlantic hurricane since the Great Hurricane of 1780)
Areas affected	Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Yucatan Peninsula, south Florida
Part of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Mitch was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever observed, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph or 290 km/h. Mitch battered Central America from October 22, 1998 to November 5, 1998, killing over 18,000 people. It was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane in over 200 years, and the second deadliest ever recorded (after the Great Hurricane of 1780).

Deaths were mostly from flooding and mudslides, when the slow-moving hurricane and then tropical storm dropped nearly 3 feet (900 mm) of rain. Tens of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed.

Storm history

Hurricane Mitch began life as an African tropical wave that entered the Atlantic on October 10. After moving across the Atlantic and into the Caribbean Sea, the wave began organizing in the southern Caribbean north of Colombia. It was classified as a tropical depression on October 22 about 360 nautical miles (670 km) south of Kingston, Jamaica. The depression moved westward slowly, and strengthened into Tropical Storm Mitch later that day.

Mitch, still moving slowly, reached hurricane strength on the 24th while 255 n mi south-southwest of Kingston. Mitch began intensifying rapidly and on October 26 was a Category 5 hurricane. Prior to its wind speed peak, Mitch's central pressure dropped to 905 mbar, one of the lowest ever recorded in an Atlantic hurricane(see table below). The eye of the storm traveled nearly parallel to the coast of Nicaragua and Honduras, traveling north, then turning the corner and heading west. Upon reaching the approximate middle of the northern Honduran coast the storm lingered off-shore for two days, and then headed inland into central Honduras.

Mitch passed over the Swan Islands on October 27, and weakened slightly as it approached Honduras. As it neared the coast, its forward motion stopped, and Mitch meandered off the coast of Honduras until the 29th. Mitch made landfall that day 70 n mi east of la Ceiba as a Category 2 hurricane.

Now over land, Mitch weakened, and was classified a tropical depression as it entered Guatemala on the 31st. The depression dissipated, but a remnant circulation remained. On November 2, this system reorganized over the Bay of Campeche, and Mitch again became a named storm, 130 n mi southwest of Mérida, Yucatán. Tropical Storm Mitch moved over Yucatán, and then across the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. Its final landfall was near Naples, Florida as a moderately strong tropical storm on November 5. Mitch became extratropical, and accelerated into the north Atlantic. It was tracked north of Great Britain on November 9.

Hurricane Mitch was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since the Great Hurricane of 1780, and displaced the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 as the second-deadliest on record. Eleven thousand people were confirmed dead, and just as many reported missing. Precise damage estimates are not available, but are reported to exceed 5 billion USD. The bulk of the damage was in Honduras and neighboring Nicaragua, but El Salvador and Guatemala also received significant damage.

Mitch was the second highly destructive hurricane to hit Honduras since the beginning of modern tropical cyclone observation and forecasting. Hurricane Fifi in 1974 killed an unknown number, but estimates are around 8,000 dead.

Mitch was responsible for the loss of the Fantome Windjammer sailing ship and all 31 crew on October 27 as recorded in the book "The Ship and The Storm" by Jim Carrier (ISBN 007135526X).

The name Mitch was retired in the spring of 1999 and was replaced with Matthew in the 2004 season.

Top ten most intense Atlantic hurricanes since measurements began Hurricane intensity is measured solely by central pressure; source: NOAA
North Atlantic				Landfall U.S.
Rank	Hurricane	Year	Minimum pressure recorded mbar (hPa)	Rank	Hurricane	Year	Minimum pressure at landfall mbar (hPa)
1	Wilma	2005	882	1	Labor Day	1935	892
2	Gilbert	1988	888	2	Camille	1969	909
3	Labor Day	1935	892	3	Katrina	2005	918
4	Rita	2005	897	4	Andrew	1992	922
5	Allen	1980	899	5	Indianola	1886	925
6	Katrina	2005	902	6	Florida Keys	1919	927
7	Camille	1969	905	7	Okeechobee	1928	929
8	Mitch	1998	905	8	Donna	1960	930
9	Ivan	2004	910	9	New Orleans	1915	931
10	Janet	1955	914	10	Carla	1961	931
Based on data from: The Weather Channel				Based on data from: U.S. National Hurricane Center

Hurricane Mitch was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever observed, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph or 290 km/h. Mitch battered Central America from October 22, 1998 to November 5, 1998, killing over 18,000 people. It was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane in over 200 years, and the second deadliest ever recorded (after the Great Hurricane of 1780).

Deaths were mostly from flooding and mudslides, when the slow-moving hurricane and then tropical storm dropped nearly 3 feet (900 mm) of rain. Tens of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed.