1988 Atlantic hurricane season

1988 Atlantic hurricane season
Seasonal boundaries
First system formed	{{{First storm formed}}}
Last system dissipated	{{{Last storm dissipated}}}
Seasonal statistics
Total fatalities	Unknown
Total damage	Unknown

The 1988 Atlantic hurricane season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. It officially started June 1, 1988, and lasted until November 30, 1988.

One of the most notable storms of the season was Hurricane Gilbert. Gilbert took a path through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, strengthening to become the second most intense Atlantic hurricane in history.

Another notable hurricane was Hurricane Joan. Joan crossed the southern Caribbean Sea and rapidly intensified to become the strongest Atlantic hurricane south of 12º North. Joan crossed Central America and became one of only a few hurricanes to retain their circulation from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Storms

Tropical Storm Alberto

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 and crossed the Canadian Maritimes before becoming extratropical near Newfoundland. There was no significant damage.

Tropical Storm Beryl

A tropical depression developed over Louisiana on August 7. It drifted south and strengthened to Tropical Storm Beryl before retuning over New Orleans and heading inland. One death at sea was attributed to Beryl, and damage to coastal areas was estimated at $4 million. Excessive rain fell along the central Gulf coast, with local amounts of 16 inches over a one week period at Dauphin Island, AL. Click [1] to see the rainfall graphic.

Tropical Storm Chris

A Tropical Depression formed in mid-Atlantic on August 21, passed though the Lesser Antilles, across Hispaniola and through the Bahamas before 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. 3 deaths occurred in Puerto Rico and one in South Carolina, damage was minor. Chris was one of several storm that took long to reach tropical storm strenght (Chris took 7 1/2 days before reaching tropical storm strengh) the only other storms was Hurricane Dennis of 1981 and Hurricane Irene of 2005.

Hurricane Debby

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 mountianous terrain weakened the storm quickly back to tropical depression status. The remnants of the storm entered the Eastern Pacific, and re-organized into Tropical Depression Sixteen-E before dissapating between Baja California and mainland Mexico. Debby killed ten people in Mexico and injured 16 others. In Veracruz, 300,000 people were forced to flee from rising floodwaters. The storm caused isolated power outages. 10 deaths were reported from Mexico, mostly caused by mudslides.

Tropical Storm Ernesto

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 Six

Tropical Depression 13 formed north-east 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, had the storm been name it would be Tropical Storm Florence. Moderate to heavy rain was reported from the west coast of Africa, no damage was reported.

Hurricane Florence

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 north-east Texas. Locally heavy rains fell east of the track of Florence; the rainfall graphic from Florence can be viewed here: [2].

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

Hurricane Gilbert

Main article: Hurricane Gilbert

Hurricane Gilbert was the most intense Category 5 hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic until it was surpassed by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. The storm caused widespread serious 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 formed west of Cape Verde on September 17 and swung to the north in the central Atlantic. It strengthened to Category 4 by September 23 before weakening over cooler water, eventually becoming extratropical on September 30. It never approached land and no damage or casualties were reported.

Tropical Storm Isaac

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.

Hurricane Joan

Main article: Hurricane Joan-Miriam

Hurricane Joan killed 148 people in Nicaragua (where it made landfall as a Category 4), and another 68 people in other affected nations. It also had a very unusual track.

Tropical Storm Keith

The last storm of the season became a Tropical Depression south of Haiti on November 17 and reached storm strength on November 20. It curved round to clip the tip of the Yucatan peninsula, then crossed Florida from Sarasota to Melbourne on November 23, causing moderately heavy rains across Florida, which can be viewed here [3]. It became an intense extratropical system over the Atlantic, with sustained winds reaching minimal hurricane force which caused some confusion since the best track data sometimes classifed Keith as a hurricane but in reality it was a tropical storm (See Weather Underground, Tropical Storm Keith Best Track Data) .

Damage from storm surge in Florida was put at $3 million. 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 gray.

Alberto Beryl Chris Debby Ernesto Florence Gilbert

Helene Isaac Joan Keith Leslie (unused) Michael (unused) Nadine (unused)

Oscar (unused) Patty (unused) Rafael (unused) Sandy (unused) Tony (unused) Valerie (unused) William (unused)

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

• List of notable tropical cyclones
• List of Atlantic hurricane seasons

External links

• Monthly Weather Review
• Detailed information on all storms from 1988