Hurricane Gilbert: the Storm of the Century

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Hurricane Gilbert: The Storm of the Century

Meyer-Arendt, Klaus J. , Asst. Prof., Dr., Department of Geology and Geography, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5167, USA

ABSTRACT: Hurricane Gilbert has been labelled the "storm of the century" because of the many meteorological records it set. These include size, straightness of track, atmospheric pressure, precipitation, and total energy. After ravaging Jamaica as a Force 3 storm, Gilbert made landfall in Yucatan as a Force 5, one of only three hurricanes of such magnitude to do so in North America this century. In spite of a death toll of 318 and property damage in the billions of dollars, Gilbert's impacts were eclipsed by the extensive publicity th at accompanied Hurricane Hugo's landfall in South Carolina the following year (1989).

Introduction wind speeds (which reached 173 knots, or 320 km/hr), Gilbert ranked a Force 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale As if to punctuate the decade of anomalous weather (Tab 1). It thus joins Hurricane Camille (1969) and the that characterized the 1980s, two major hurricanes struck Florida Keys Labor Day storm (1935) as the only Force the North American continent in 1988 and 1989. Hugo, 5 storms to make landfall in the 20th century. a Force 4 tropical cyclone which brushed the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico before making landfall at South Carolina in 1989, received much publicity because of Synoptic History great property damage and greater media attention. However, it was Gilbert in 1988 that will be remembered Like many North Atlantic hurricanes, Gilbert was for setting meteorological records. Dubbed "the storm of spawned along the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone in the century" by the press, Gilbert set records for: a) size West Africa in early September 1988. By Sept. 3, a (average radius of 1,750 km for the entire system, the poorly organized easterly tropical wave was noted over largest ever recorded in any tropical sector), b) track (less the open waters of the North Atlantic just off the NW than 5 km divergence from a straight track over 4,500 km African coast. Progressing westward, the wave broadened of forward motion, unique among 2,000 tropical storms in extent and - according to ship reports - took on of the Western Hemisphere) (Fig 1), c) atmospheric cyclonic characteristics in mid-ocean. But not until it pressure (the low of 888 millibars (mb] set a new record approached within 660 km of the Lesser Antilles on Sept. low for air pressure recorded at sea level in the Western 9 was the official designition of tropical depression Hemisphere), d) precipitation (high rainfall was recorded applied (Clark 1989) . So far this scenario has been typical for Jamaica and N Mexico, but the bulk of estimated of 80 % of all Atlantic hurricanes. l.69x 10 12 cubic meters of water fell over the waters of Crossing Dominica late on Sept. 9, the depression the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico) , and e) total turned to tropical storm strength and was named Gilbert. energy (which has been estimated at 3.8x 1019 joules, or Intensifying quickly once inside the warm Caribbean approximately equal to the 1883 volcanic eruption of waters, Gilbert recorded a central barometric pressure of Krakatoa) (Eyre 1989) . On the basis of air pressure and 970 mb even prior to attaining hurricane status south of 324 GeoJournal 23.4/1991

Fig 1 Storm track of Gilbert, September 9-19, 1988 (after Clark 1989)

--- Tropical Storm Stage

Hurricane Stage

• " Position and Date at 0000 GMT

o Pos ition at 1200 GMT

100°

Puerto Rico late on Sept. 10 (Fig 2) . Continuing to still below 900 mb, and a storm surge height estimated at intensify in terms of both sustained wind speeds and between 4.5 and 6.0 m (Lawrence 1989; Perry et al. atmospheric pressure as it tracked westward, Gilbert had 1989) . Its energy somewhat reduced by the Cozumel attained Force 3 status as it slammed into Jamaica with landfall, Hurricane Gilbert arrived at the resort of 110 knot (204 km) winds on Sept. 12. The steady build-up Cancun with 100-110 knot (185 - 204 km/hr) winds and a in wind speeds was briefly interrupted as Gilbert wreaked storm surge height estimated at between 3.0 and 4.5 m a path of destruction the length of the island (Eyre 1989) , (Clark 1989; Perry et al. 1989) . but once again over water, intensification resumed As Gilbert's path of destruction continued across the rapidly (Fig 3). Yucatan Peninsula, its wind speed decreased and air By September 13th, winds surpassed 135 knots (250 pressures increased considerably. Over the Gulf of km/hr) as the storm center passed immediately SE of Mexico, the storm re-intensified. With 115 knot (213 km/ Grand Cayman Island, giving Gilbert the distinction of hr) winds, Gilbert remained at Force 3 levels by the time becoming the first Force 5 hurricane since Camille in landfall was made near La Pesca in the afternoon of Sept. 1969. As Gilbert approached the Yucatan Channel that 16th. Gilbert's approach in N Mexico was eerily similar to night, sustained wind speeds exceeded 160 knots (296 km/ that of Hurricane Anita in 1977, whose legacy of hr) - with peak winds recorded as high as 173 knots (320 destruction may still be seen in residential areas of La km/hr) - and the air pressure dropped to 885 mb (later Pesca today. corrected to 888 mb), the lowest ever recorded at sea Although quickly downgraded to tropical storm and level in the Western Hemisphere (Clark 1989). tropical depression once over land, torrential rains - At sunrise on Sept. 14th, Gilbert slammed into especially in the N Sierra Madre - led to massive flooding Cozumel Island as a Force 5 hurricane with sustained which caused much death and destruction in the wind speeds of over 145 knots (268 km/hr), air pressure Monterrey area. Torrential rains and tornadoes spawned

Tab 1 Saffir/Simpson damage-potential Scale no. Central air pressure Winds Surge Damage scale ranges (Simpson and Riehl (Force) inches millibars mph kmh ft m 1981) 1 > 28.93 > 979 74- 95 118 -152 4- 5 1.2- 1.5 minimal 2 28.50-28.92 965 - 979 96-110 153 -176 6- 8 1. 8- 2.4 moderate 3 27. 90-28.49 945 - 964 111 - 130 177 - 208 9- 12 2.7- 3.6 extensive 4 27 .17- 27.89 920-944 131 -155 209- 248 13 -18 4.0-5.5 extreme 5 < 27 .17 < 920 > 155 > 248 > 18 > 5.5 catastrophic GeoJournal 23.4/1991 325

1050 200

Cozumel (145) 1000

i0 g 100 "ti -~= Monterrey (35) 900 L 850 +------,----~----,--~ - ---~- ~~ 0 8 1 0 12 14 16 18 20 8 1 0 1 2 14 1 6 18 20 day of September 1988 day of September 1988

Fig 2 Atmosphere pressure associated with Gilbert (after Clark Fig 3 Wind speeds associated with Gilbert (after Clark 1989) 1989)

along the leading edge of the storm continued into the ten billion dollars (Clark 1989) . Of the official death to ll United States, and Gilbert's track finally refracted toward of 318, 202 were recorded in Mexico (Lawrence 1989) , the E as the storm merged with a frontal low-pressure mostly a result of the extensive flooding triggered by system (Lawrence 1989) . Even Greenland later reported orographic interception. In Jamaica, 45 persons were storm damages from Gilbert. killed, over 50,000 persons remained homeless for weeks to months, and 75 % of all dwellings sustained damage (Eyre 1989) . In spite of a paucity of accurate data, Storm Impacts Mexico reported damages of 1 to 2 billion dollars, including 60 ,000 destroyed homes (Clark 1989), many of . Gilbert will go down in history as one of the most them in the Yucatan. powerful hurricanes on record. Damage estimates for A further assessment of H urricane Gilbert's impacts Jamaica and Mexico, the two most affected countries, upon the Yucatan Peninsula is presented in the following ranged from 2 billion dollars (Lawrence 1989) to nearly articles by Dixon and Meyer-Arendt (this issue).

References Lawrence, M . B.: Return of the hurricanes . Weatherwise 42, 1, 22- 27 (1989) Clark, G. : Preliminary Report: Hurricane Gilbert, 08-19 September 1988. presented at Eighth Symposium on Coastal Perry, D . C.; McDonald, J. R .; Peterson, R. E .: The strange life of Sedimentology (W. Tanner, convener), 2-4 March, Hurricane Gilbert, September 11 - 19, 1988. Southern Building Tallahassee, FL 1989. Jan./Feb.: 16- 25 (1989) Eyre, L.A.: Hurricane Gilbert: Caribbean record-breaker. Weather Simpson, R.H.; Riehl, H. : The hurricane and its impact. Louisiana 44, 4, 160-164 (1989) State University Press, Baton Rouge 1981.