'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 341 people and caused about $5.5 billion (1988 USD, $9.4 billion 2006 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, and on
September 8 the low developed an organized circulation center. Early on
September 9 the storm was designated Tropical Depression Twelve, near the
Windward Islands about 400 miles (640 km) east of
Barbados. It quickly strengthened into Tropical Storm Gilbert that afternoon, becoming the seventh named storm of the season while crossing the
Lesser Antilles.
[1]
Gilbert making landfall in Jamaica on September 12
With no
inhibiting factors to strengthening, Gilbert quickly became a hurricane late on
September 10 and then a major (Category 3) hurricane on the 11th.
[2] 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 125 mph (205 km/h) winds and a central pressure of 960 mb (28.35 inHg), making it a Category 3 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 (160 km/h).
Gilbert strengthened rapidly after emerging from the coast of Jamaica. As the hurricane brushed the
Cayman Islands a reporting station on
Grand Cayman recorded a wind gust of 156 mph (252 km/h) while the storm passed just to the southeast on
September 13. Extreme intensification continued until Gilbert reached a minimum pressure of 888 mb (26.22 inHg) with sustained flight-level winds of 185 mph (295 km/h), having intensified by 72 mbar in a space of 24 hours.
This pressure was the lowest ever observed in the
western hemisphere and made Gilbert the most intense
Atlantic hurricane on record, until it was surpassed by
Hurricane Wilma in the
2005 season.
Gilbert made landfall for a second time on the island of
Cozumel and then 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; the minimum pressure at landfall in Cozumel was estimated to be 900 mb (26.6 inHg)
[3]. The storm weakened quickly while crossing land before emerging into the
Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane.
[2] Gilbert restrengthened rapidly, however, and made landfall for a final time as a Category 3 hurricane near
La Pesca,
Tamaulipas, on
September 16.
On
September 17 Gilbert brushed the inland city of
Monterrey,
Nuevo León before taking a sharp turn to the north. The storm spawned 29 tornadoes in
Texas on
September 18 before moving across Oklahoma and being absorbed by a low-pressure system over
Missouri on the 19th.
Impact
Gilbert claimed 341 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 $5.5 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.
Venezuela
Outflow bands from Gilbert produced flash floods in northern Venezuela, which killed five people.
[6]
Jamaica
Hurricane Gilbert produced over 700 mm (27 inches) of rain in the mountainous areas of Jamaica, causing inland flash flooding.
[7] About 45 people were killed.
[8] Gilbert was the most severe hurricane to hit
Jamaica since
Hurricane Charlie in
1951.
[9] 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.
[10]
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.
[ Grand Cayman's history with tropical systems Hurricanecity ]
Mexico
Rainfall in the United States and Mexico from Gilbert
35,000 people were left homeless and 83 ships sank when Gilbert struck the
Yucatán Peninsula. 60,000 homes were destroyed, and damage was estimated at between $1 and 2 billion (1989
USD).
[ Climatology of landfalling hurricanes and tropical storms in Mexico E. Jáuregui ] 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.
[11] Rainfall in the
Yucatán Peninsula peaked at 13.78 inches in
Progreso, Yucatán.
[12]
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.
[ Climatology of landfalling hurricanes and tropical storms in Mexico E. Jáuregui ] Rainfall in northeastern Mexico peaked at over 10 inches in localized areas of inland
Tamaulipas.
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.
[13]
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.
Aftermath
Jamaica
The hurricane severely damaged all but two medical facilities and 50% of the water supply.
[10] In addition, many of the supplies brought to the needed remained in the warehouses and were sometimes stolen.
[10]
Retirement
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.
See also
★
List of notable tropical cyclones
★
List of notable Atlantic hurricanes
★
List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
References
1. NHC TCR page 1
2. NHC TCR page 9
3. NHC TCR page 2
4. NHC TCR page 9
5. Reseña del Impacto de los Principales Desastres. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
6. 1988 Monthly Weather Review National Weather Service
7. Preliminary Report: Hurricane Erin 31 July - 6 August 1995
8. Annual Summaries: Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1988 Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 117, p. 2248
9. The Hurricane and its Effects: Hurricane Gilbert - Jamaica undated
10. http://www.crid.or.cr/digitalizacion/pdf/eng/doc6803/doc6803-01.pdf
11. CANCUN UNDER GILBERT: PRELIMENARY OBSERVATIONS Benigono Aguirre
12. Rainfall data for Hurricane Gilbert David Roth
13. Then & Now: The tornadoes of 1988 July 31, 2005
14. http://www.crid.or.cr/digitalizacion/pdf/eng/doc6803/doc6803-01.pdf
15. http://www.crid.or.cr/digitalizacion/pdf/eng/doc6803/doc6803-01.pdf
External links
★
TPC NHC Hurricane Gilbert (NOAA)
★
Hurricane Gilbert Overview (NOAA)
★
Hurricanes in the Yucatan (Yucatan Today)
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
