Hurricane Gilbert
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Category 5 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
 Hurricane Gilbert near maximum intensity. |
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| Formed | September 8, 1988 | |
| Dissipated | September 19, 1988 | |
| Highest winds |
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| Lowest pressure | 888 hPa (mbar) | |
| Fatalities | 318 direct | |
| Damage | $5 billion (1988 USD) $9 billion (2006 USD) |
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| Areas affected |
Windward Islands, Venezuela, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Central America, Yucatán Peninsula, northern Mexico, Texas, South Central United States | |
| Part of the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season |
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Hurricane Gilbert is the second most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin. It was the eighth tropical storm and third hurricane of the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season. Gilbert wreaked havoc in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico for nearly 9 days. In total, it killed 318 people and caused $5 billion (1988 USD, $7-9 billion 2005 USD) in damages over the course of its path.
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[edit] Storm history
On September 3, 1988, a tropical wave emerged off the African Coast. Over the next several days, a low pressure center slowly developed from this wave. By September 8, the low pressure center was well-organized, and satellite data confirmed that it had become Tropical Depression Twelve, no where near the Windward Islands about 400 miles east of Barbados. 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 passed through the Windward Islands as a weak tropical storm that night, resulting in little to no damage in the islands.
| Most intense Atlantic hurricanes Intensity is measured solely by central pressure |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Hurricane | Season | Min. pressure |
| 1 | Wilma | 2005 | 882 mbar (hPa) |
| 2 | Gilbert | 1988 | 888 mbar (hPa) |
| 3 | "Labor Day" | 1935 | 892 mbar (hPa) |
| 4 | Rita | 2005 | 895 mbar (hPa) |
| 5 | Allen | 1980 | 899 mbar (hPa) |
| 6 | Katrina | 2005 | 902 mbar (hPa) |
| 7 | Camille | 1969 | 905 mbar (hPa) |
| Mitch | 1998 | 905 mbar (hPa) | |
| 9 | Ivan | 2004 | 910 mbar (hPa) |
| 10 | Janet | 1955 | 914 mbar (hPa) |
| Source: U.S. Department of Commerce | |||
With no inhibiting factors to strengthening, Gilbert quickly became a hurricane and then a major hurricane (category 3 or higher) on the 11th. It moved consistently west-northwest, influenced by a strong high pressure system to its north. This movement led to the hurricane's first landfall in Jamaica. The eye passed completely over Jamaica on September 12 with 135 mph winds, making it a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the first hurricane to make direct landfall in Jamaica since the 1951 season, when Hurricane Charlie passed over the island with winds around 100 mph.
Gilbert strengthened rapidly after emerging from the coast of Jamaica. The hurricane reached the lower end of category 5 while slamming into the Cayman Islands. A reporting station on Grand Cayman recorded a wind gust of 156 mph while passing just to the southeast. 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 the 2005 season. 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 Yucatán Peninsula on September 14 as a Category 5 hurricane, making it the first Category 5 to make landfall in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane David hit Hispanola nine years earlier in 1979. Major hurricane status was held as the storm made landfall for a third time as a category 3 near La Pesca, Tamaulipas, on September 16. On September 17 Gilbert struck the inland city of Monterrey, Nuevo León. 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.
[edit] Impact
| Country | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Mexico | 225[1] |
| 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).
American journalist Jules Siegel was living in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, (near Cancún) with his family. The hurricane hit Puerto Morelos dead-on, but the entire town population was evacuated to Cancún. Siegel's account of this experience was published in a local newspaper in Spanish and is available in English on his website.
[edit] Venezuela
Outflow bands from Gilbert produced flash floods in northern Venezuela, which killed five people.[2]
[edit] Jamaica
Hurricane Gilbert produced over 700 mm (27 inches) of rain in the mountainous areas of Jamaica, causing inland flash flooding.[3] About 45 people were killed.[4] Gilbert was the most severe hurricane to hit Jamaica since Hurricane Charlie in 1951.[5] The storm left $4 billion dollars (1988 USD) in damage. Gilbert also destroyed crops, buildings, houses and roads and even turned small aircraft into shambles.[5]
[edit] Cayman Islands
Gilbert passed 30 miles to the south of the Cayman Islands, with a gust of 157 mph reported early on September 13. However, the islands largely escaped the hurricane's wrath due to Gilbert's rather quick forward motion, and the deepness of the water surrounding the islands limited the height of the storm surge to 5 ft. Nevertheless, there was very severe damage to crops, trees and pastures, and many private homes were ruined.[6]
[edit] Mexico
35,000 people were left homeless and 83 ships sank when Gilbert stuck the Yucatán Peninsula. 60,000 homes were destroyed, and damage was estimated at between $1 and 2 billion (1989 USD).[7] In the Cancún region, a further loss of $87 million (1989 USD) due to a decline in tourism was estimated for the months October, November and December in 1988.[8] Rainfall in the Yucatán Peninsula peaked at 13.78 inches in Progreso, Yucatán.[9]
In northeastern Mexico, heavy rains in and around Monterrey caused tremendous flooding. More than 100 persons died when five buses carrying evacuees were overturned in the raging floodwaters.[7] Rainfall in northeastern Mexico peaked at over 10 inches in localized areas of inland Tamaulipas.[9]
[edit] United States
Despite concerns that Texas might suffer a direct hit, there was only minor damage reported in southern Texas from Gilbert's landfall, 60 miles to the south. Winds gusted to hurricane force in a few places, but the main impact felt in the state was beach erosion from a 3-5 foot storm surge, and tornadoes, which mainly affected the San Antonio area.[10]
At 6pm on September 16 Gilbert had hit land just south of Brownsville, Texas.
Oklahoma recorded the highest measurement of rainfall in the United States, 8.6 inches, in Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Isolated locations in Texas and Oklahoma reported over 7 inches, while moderate rainfall of up to 3 inches fell in central Michigan.[9]
[edit] Aftermath
[edit] Jamaica
The hurricane severely damaged all but two medical facilities and 50% of the water supply.[5] In addition, many of the supplies brought to the needed remained in the warehouses and were sometimes stolen.[5]
[edit] Retirement
- See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricanes
Due to its extreme intensity and path of destruction, the name Gilbert was retired in the spring of 1989, and will never be used for another Atlantic hurricane. It was replaced by Gordon in the 1994 Atlantic hurricane season.
[edit] See also
- List of notable tropical cyclones
- List of notable Atlantic hurricanes
- List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
[edit] References
- ^ Reseña del Impacto de los Principales Desastres. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
- ^ National Weather Service (1988). 1988 Monthly Weather Review. Retrieved on 2006-07-21.
- ^ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1995erin.html
- ^ http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/mwreviews/1988.pdf
- ^ a b c d http://www.crid.or.cr/digitalizacion/pdf/eng/doc6803/doc6803-01.pdf
- ^ Hurricanecity. Grand Cayman's history with tropical systems. Hurricanecity. Retrieved on September 29, 2006.
- ^ a b E. Jáuregui. Climatology of landfalling hurricanes and tropical storms in Mexico. Centro de Ciencias de la Atmósfera, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México June 11, 2003. Retrieved on October 1, 2006.
- ^ Benigono Aguirre. CANCUN UNDER GILBERT: PRELIMENARY OBSERVATIONS. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters March 1989, Vol. 7, No.1, pp. 69-82. Retrieved on October 1, 2006.
- ^ a b c David Roth (2006). Rainfall data for Hurricane Gilbert. Retrieved on 2006-10-16.
- ^ http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/weather/stories/MYSA073105.2B.thennow_tornadoes.3683805.html
[edit] External links
- TPC NHC Hurricane Gilbert (NOAA)
- Hurricane Gilbert Overview (NOAA)
- Hurricanes in the Yucatan (Yucatan Today)
Categories: 1988 disasters | 1988 Atlantic hurricane season | 1988 in Mexico | Atlantic hurricanes | Category 5 hurricanes | Hurricanes in the Cayman Islands | Hurricanes in Haiti | Hurricanes in Jamaica | Hurricanes in Mexico | Hurricanes in Quintana Roo | Hurricanes in Yucatán | Hurricanes in Tamaulipas | Hurricanes in Nuevo León | Hurricanes in Coahuila | Texas hurricanes | Oklahoma hurricanes | Retired Atlantic hurricanes
