Hurricane Earl (1998)
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| Category 2 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
 Hurricane Earl making landfall |
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| Formed | August 31, 1998 | |
| Dissipated | September 8, 1998 | |
| Highest winds |
|
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| Lowest pressure | 988 mbar (hPa) | |
| Damage | $79 million (1998 USD)[1] $91.5 million (2005 USD) |
|
| Fatalities | 2 direct, 1 indirect | |
| Areas affected |
Florida, Georgia, Carolinas, Atlantic Canada | |
| Part of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season |
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Hurricane Earl was a strong category 2 hurricane that made landfall as a Category 1 by Panama City, Florida on September 3, 1998 near 0600 UTC, travelling northeast through Georgia up to Nova Scotia.[1] The storm killed 3 people and caused $79 million dollars in estimated total damage (including floods).[1] Hurricane Earl was one of three hurricanes to make landfall on the U.S. during 1998 (the others being Hurricane Georges and Hurricane Bonnie). Earl was also the third hurricane to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle in two years (others being Hurricane Opal and Hurricane Erin of 1995)[2]
Contents |
[edit] Storm History
Earl formed in the Gulf of Mexico on August 31 south of Louisiana. The tropical depression had a dynamic structure which is that "multiple centers" were detected in the storm and thus the center of the developing storm was very difficult to track. By September 2, Hurricane Earl had reached hurricane strength based on aircraft and satellite data while centered 125 miles southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana. Satellite imagery showed that Earl didn't have a classic hurricane look; instead, the storm looked more like a subtropical or an extratropical storm as it neared the U.S. Gulf Coast. Earl briefly reached category 2 status before making landfall near Panama City, Florida as a category 1 on September 3. Earl then weakened and became extratropical on the same day. Earl moved rapidly through Georgia and the Carolinas before hitting Atlantic Canada. The remnants of Earl then merged with the extratropical storm that was formerly Hurricane Danielle.
[edit] Preparations
The storm forced many Florida residences to evacuate, especially people living in the barrier islands that dot the Florida Gulf Coast. About 30 Air Force jets from Eglin Air Force Base were sent to Oklahoma[3]. Officials issued hurricane watches and warnings from the Florida Gulf Coast to the Tampa area, forcing local residents to evacuate, many of whom had left during Hurricanes Erin and Opal in 1995. [4]
[edit] Impact
Earl killed three people and left $15 million dollars (1998 USD ($17.4 million 2005 USD) in damage. Most of the damage was in the Florida Panhandle.
[edit] Florida
Hurricane Earl produced a storm surge about 2.5 meters high in the Big Bend area of Florida. Panama City received 41 cm (12 inches) of rain and there were reports of tornadoes, one of which damaged eleven homes and six businesses in Brevard County.[5] Offshore, two boats sank during the storm, drowning two people. In Port St. Joe, Florida, Earl destroyed portions of a seawall while seven miles of Highway 98 were washed out by storm surge.[6] Fifteen boats docked at Shell Island Fish Camp were tossed around and wrecked. In Destin Harbor, strong underwater currents caused the sea floor to shift, endangering several vessels from future storms. Hurricane Earl also destroyed several turtle nests.[7] In Tampa Bay, 90% of the eggs were destroyed and in Gulf County, Florida about 150 sea turtle eggs were lost to the storm.[8] Beach erosion was heavy along the Florida Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Earl also detached a football field-sized island that floated 500 yards down the coast of Deer Point Lake before it got lodged against the banks of Cedar Creek. Residences worried that the island might break loose again during another hurricane and will drift into Deer Point Lake Dam.[9]The storm also washed military ammunition onto the beaches, much of it dating back to World War II.[10]
[edit] Southeastern U.S.
Hurricane Earl produced a tornado outbreak across the states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. One of the tornadoes killed one person in St. Helena, South Carolina, while others did minimal damage.[11] In Georgia, four people were injured when a tornado hit a house west of Savannah.[12]
[edit] Atlantic Canada
Earl battered Nova Scotia with heavy rains and gale force winds as an extratropical storm.
[edit] Lack of retirement
Because the damage was not extreme, the name Earl was not retired. Therefore, it was used again in 2004 and will be used in 2010.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b NOAA "TPC ATLANTIC EARL 1998 PRELIMINARY REPORT" (November 17, 1998), NOAA.gov, web: NoaaGOV-Earl.
[edit] External links
- Hurricane Earl 1998 report
- Hurricane Earl
- Earl 1998
- Hurricane Earl photos
- CNN.com
- www.hurricanecity.com
- USA Today (Hurricane Earl)
- www.gulfcoast.edu (Earl)
- CNN.com 2
- Florida Braces for Hurricane Earl
- Florida State
- AMS
- BBC NEWS
- BBC NEWS
- Personal Hurricane Center
- Washington Post
- Hurricane City.com
- Hurricane Earl rainfall total
