Hurricane Gilbert
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Hurricane Gilbert is the second most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin. It was the eighth tropical storm strength tropical cyclone 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.
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, 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.
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 150 mph (240 km/h) winds, making it a very strong Category 4 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 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, Mexico, 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.
Impact
| Country | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Mexico | 202 |
| Jamaica | 45 |
| Haiti | 30 |
| Guatemala | 12 |
| Venezuela | 5 |
| Dominican Republic | 5 |
| United States | 3 |
| Costa Rica | 2 |
| Nicaragua
| 2 |
| Total | 318 |
American journalist Jules Siegel was living in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico (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].
Jamaica
Hurricane Gilbert produced over 700 mm (27 inches) of rain in the mountainous areas of Jamaica, causing inland flash flooding.http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1995erin.html About 45 people were killed.http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/1988.pdf Gilbert was the most severe hurricane to hit Jamaica since Hurricane Charlie in 1951.http://www.crid.or.cr/digitalizacion/pdf/eng/doc6803/doc6803-01.pdf The storm left $4 billion dollars (1988 USD) in damage.http://www.crid.or.cr/digitalizacion/pdf/eng/doc6803/doc6803-01.pdfMexico
35,000 people were left homeless and 83 ships sank when Gilbert stuck the Yucatán Peninsula. Also, billions of pesos in damages were recorded.http://www.udel.edu/DRC/Aguirre/publications/ag35.pdfUnited 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.
Oklahoma recorded the highest measurement of rainfall in the United States. 8.6 inches. This was in the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge.
Aftermath
Jamaica
The hurricane severely damaged all but two medical facilities and 50% of the water supply.http://www.crid.or.cr/digitalizacion/pdf/eng/doc6803/doc6803-01.pdf In addition, many of the supplies brought to the needed remained in the warehouses and were sometimes stolen.http://www.crid.or.cr/digitalizacion/pdf/eng/doc6803/doc6803-01.pdfRetirement
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 season.
See also
- redirect
- List of notable tropical cyclones
- List of notable Atlantic hurricanes
- List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
External links
- [TPC NHC Hurricane Gilbert (NOAA)]
- [Hurricane Gilbert Overview (NOAA)]
- [Hurricanes in the Yucatan (Yucatan Today)]
References
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