1988 Atlantic hurricane season

Encyclopedia : 1 : 19 : 198 : 1988 Atlantic hurricane season

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The 1988 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1988, and lasted until November 30, 1988. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.

The most notable storm of the season was Hurricane Gilbert, the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever observed at the time; Gilbert took a path through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, causing devastation in Jamaica, Mexico, and many other island nations. Hurricane Joan caused very heavy damage and over 200 deaths, mostly in Nicaragua.

Storms

Tropical Storm Alberto

Alberto satellite picture and track map

A Tropical Depression formed off South Carolina on August 5 and followed the East Coast of the United States northwards. It became a tropical storm on August 7 at a record northern latitude and crossed the Canadian Maritimes before becoming extratropical near Newfoundland. There was no significant damage.

Tropical Storm Beryl

Beryl satellite picture and track map

A tropical depression developed over Louisiana on August 7. It drifted south and strengthened to Tropical Storm Beryl before returning to New Orleans and heading inland. One death at sea was attributed to Beryl, and damage to coastal areas was estimated at $3 million (1988 USD). Excessive rain fell along the central Gulf Coast, with local amounts of 16 inches over a one-week period at Dauphin Island, Alabama. [link]

Tropical Storm Chris

Chris satellite picture and track map

A tropical depression formed in the central tropical Atlantic on August 21. It passed though the Lesser Antilles, across Hispaniola and through the Bahamas before finally becoming Tropical Storm Chris east of Florida on August 28. It made landfall near Savannah, Georgia and moved up the Eastern Seaboard as a tropical depression, merging with a frontal system on August 30. Three deaths occurred in Puerto Rico from the depression's 4.5 inches of rain. A tornado in South Carolina killed one, while overall damage was minor, amounting to $500,000 (1988 USD) from its heavy rainfall. [link]

Chris is unusual for its extended duration between forming and attaining tropical storm status.

Hurricane Debby

Debby satellite picture and track map

Debby formed from the southern part of a tropical wave that became Tropical Storm Chris. On August 31, Debby became a tropical depression as it drifted slowly westward. On September 1, Debby reached tropical storm strength as it neared the Mexican coastline. Debby briefly reached hurricane strength for 6 hours before making landfall south of Tuxpan, Mexico. The mountainous terrain weakened the storm quickly back to a tropical depression. The remnants entered the Eastern Pacific, and re-organized into Tropical Depression Sixteen-E before dissipating between Baja California and mainland Mexico.

Debby killed ten people in Mexico and injured sixteen others, mostly caused by mudslides. In Veracruz, 300,000 people were forced to flee from rising floodwaters. The storm caused isolated power outages.

Tropical Storm Ernesto

Ernesto satellite picture and track map

Ernesto formed east of Bermuda on September 3 and moved rapidly east across the Atlantic. It was absorbed by an extratropical low north of the Azores. There were no reports of damage or casualties.

Tropical Storm Thirteen

Unnamed tropical storm satellite picture and track map

Tropical Depression Thirteen formed northeast of Cape Verde on September 7. It headed north-northwest and faded out west of the Western Sahara region on September 10. Ship and satellite observations indicate it maintained tropical storm strength for about 48 hours, but in view of its extreme eastern track it was not assigned a name at the time. Moderate to heavy rain was reported along the west coast of Africa, but no damage was reported. [link]

Hurricane Florence

Florence satellite picture and track map

Florence formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on September 7, and after a couple of days of rather aimless motion accelerated rapidly northwards. It became a hurricane about 12 hours before crossing the Mississippi Delta and passing over New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. The dwindling storm was tracked as far as northeast Texas. Locally heavy rains fell east of the track of Florence. [link]

Damage in Louisiana was estimated at $2.5 million (1988 USD), with a further $300,000 due to flooding in the Florida Panhandle. One storm-related death was reported.

Hurricane Gilbert

Main article: Hurricane Gilbert

Gilbert satellite picture and track map

A tropical depression formed just east of the Lesser Antilles on September 8. It moved to the west-northwest, and became a tropical storm the next day as it passed through the islands. Gilbert turned to the west, and rapidly intensified from a tropical storm on the 10th to a Category 3 hurricane on the 11th. After remaining a moderate Category 3 hurricane, Gilbert again rapidly intensified on the 13th and 14th to a peak of 185 mph in the western Caribbean. It weakened slightly after peaking, and hit the Yucatán Peninsula as a 165 mph hurricane. After weakening over the Peninsula to a 95 mph hurricane, Gilbert again re-strengthened in the western Gulf of Mexico, and made landfall south of Brownsville, Texas as a 135 mph Category 4. It turned to the northeast, and dissipated over Michigan on September 20.

Hurricane Gilbert was the most intense Category 5 hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic until it was surpassed by Hurricane Wilma in the 2005 season. The storm caused $5 billion (1988 USD) in damage across the Caribbean and into Central America. Gilbert was the first hurricane to make landfall in Jamaica since 1951, and is one of the few storms to have made landfall as Category 5 (in Mexico). It killed 318 people, mostly in Mexico.

Hurricane Helene

Helene satellite picture and track map

Helene formed west of Cape Verde on September 19 from a tropical wave. It moved to the west-southwest and became a tropical storm the next day. Very favorable conditions allowed the storm to continue to strengthen, and Helene attained hurricane status on the 21st. Helene steadily intensified, and peaked at 145 mph winds on the 23rd in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. It turned to the north, and weakened to a minimal hurricane over the north Atlantic. Helene accelerated to the northeast, and restrengthened to a 105 mph hurricane on the 29th before weakening due to cold waters. Helene became extratropical on September 30 over the north Atlantic Ocean and dissipated shortly thereafter. It never approached land and no damage or casualties were reported.

Tropical Storm Isaac

Isaac satellite picture and track map

Tropical Storm Isaac was a short-lived system, being named on September 30 east of the Lesser Antilles but maintaining storm strength for only 18 hours. The circulation faded away soon after. There were no reports of damage or casualties. Isaac's remnants later entered the Pacific Ocean, where they became Tropical Depression Twenty-E.

Hurricane Joan

Main article: Hurricane Joan-Miriam

Joan satellite picture and track map

A tropical wave organized into a tropical depression in the central tropical Atlantic on October 10. After moving to the northwest, it turned to the west, where it strengthened into a tropical storm. Joan moved through the southern Lesser Antilles on the 14th, and paralleled the northern coast of South America as a minimal tropical storm. It moved offshore on the 17th, and attained hurricane status early on the 18th. Drifting to the west, Joan rapidly intensified and reached winds of 125 mph on the 19th. After looping, the hurricane rapidly weakened, but upon moving to the west it again rapidly strengthened, peaking at 145 mph winds just before making landfall near Bluefields, Nicaragua on the 22nd. Joan crossed Central America, and when it reached the Eastern Pacific it was renamed Tropical Storm Miriam.

Hurricane Joan killed 148 people in Nicaragua (where it made landfall as a Category 4), and another 68 people in other affected nations. Damage was extensive along its path, amounting to $2 billion (1988 USD), half of which occurred in Nicaragua. Its track along the northern coast of South America was very rare, one of a few Atlantic tropical cyclones to do so.

Tropical Storm Keith

Keith satellite picture and track map

The last storm of the season formed from a tropical wave on November 17 to the south of Haiti. It moved westward through the Caribbean Sea, and organized enough to attain tropical storm status on November 20. Keith rapidly organized, and peaked with winds of 70 mph before making landfall on the northeastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula on the 21st. An upper-level trough forced it to the northeast, where upper-level shear and cooler, drier air weakened it to minimal storm strength, typical for November. Keith restrengthened over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, and struck near Sarasota, Florida on November 23. After crossing the state, it became extratropical on the 24th near Bermuda, and became an intense extratropical system over the Atlantic with sustained winds reaching minimal hurricane force.

Damage from storm surge in Florida was put at $3 million (1988 USD). The late-season storm caused moderately heavy rains across Florida [link]. Flooding in western Cuba caused considerable damage to crops. No fatalities were recorded.

1988 storm names

The following names were used for named storms that formed in the north Atlantic in 1988. The names not retired from this list were used again in the 1994 season. This is the same list used for the 1982 season. Storms were named Gilbert, Isaac, Joan, and Keith for the first time in 1988; Florence and Helene were not used in 1982 but had been used in previous lists. Names that were not assigned are marked in .

Alberto Beryl Chris Debby Ernesto Florence Gilbert

Helene Isaac Joan Keith

Retirement

The World Meteorological Organization retired two names in the spring of 1989: Gilbert and Joan. They were replaced in the 1994 season by Gordon and Joyce.

See also

1. redirect[[Template:Portal]]

• List of notable Atlantic hurricanes
• List of Atlantic hurricane seasons

External links

• [Monthly Weather Review]
• [Detailed information on all storms from 1988]
• [Information concerning U.S. rainfall from tropical cyclones in 1988]

 

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