The '1998 Atlantic hurricane season' officially began on
June 1,
1998, and lasted until
November 30,
1998. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most
tropical cyclones form in the
Atlantic basin; however, the season extended through
December 1 as
Hurricane Nicole remained active. The most notable storms of the season were
Hurricane Georges and
Hurricane Mitch; the former caused heavy damages across the
Caribbean Sea and on the
United States'
Gulf Coast as well as 603 deaths, and the latter killed at least 11,000 people, mostly in
Honduras and
Nicaragua, making it the deadliest hurricane of modern times.
Season summary
Four simultaneous hurricanes
The 1998 Atlantic hurricane season was the second deadliest season on record. One of the notable storms of the 1998 season was Hurricane Georges, which killed an estimated 602 people, mostly in the
Dominican Republic and
Haiti, and at the time was the 19th deadliest
20th century Atlantic hurricane. Although Georges was a record-setting storm, it was a distant second to Hurricane Mitch. Mitch was responsible for at least 11,000 deaths, mostly in
Honduras and
Nicaragua. Mitch is the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, behind only the
Great Hurricane of 1780.
Hurricane Earl and Hurricane Danielle.
The season began in late July, and after a quiet beginning to August, the tropics remained active through early October. With 5 storms reaching hurricane status in September, the month was among the most active on record. 7 storms also occurred in the month. In addition, two storms existed in the month of November, one of which became a hurricane. In all, seven storms made landfall around the Atlantic Ocean, of which four were hurricanes. The Gulf of Mexico experienced six tropical cyclones, a relatively high amount.
An extremely unusual feature of the season was the presence of four simultaneous hurricanes; Georges, Ivan, Karl, and Jeanne on
September 26. Such an event has never been recorded since the
1893 Atlantic hurricane season. Three simultaneous hurricanes is extremely rare on its own, and has happened only 7 times from 1950 through 2005.
Storms
Tropical Storm Alex
On
July 26, a tropical wave moved westward off the coast of Africa. The wave, already well organized, soon encountered favorable elements for development. On the 27th, Tropical Depression One formed while 300 n mi south-southwest of
Cape Verde. After nearly 24 hours of dormancy where the storm showed poor organization and minimal convection, satellite imagery showed deep convection near the center of the now strengthening depression. At approximately midnight on the 29th, the storm was upgraded to tropical storm status. The storm stayed on its west-northwest track, but struggled to survive as wind shear and a mid- to upper-level trough nearly tore the storm apart. Early on the 31st, it was estimated that Alex reached its peak of 50
mph and 1002
mbar. Wind shear increased, making conditions near-impossible for further strengthening. The wind shear took its toll as it tore the storm apart, and the storm dissipated quickly as it turned to the northwest on
August 2. Alex was the last storm to form in July, starting a three year gap in which no tropical storms or hurricanes formed in July until 2002, when Tropical Storm Arthur formed on
July 15.
Hurricane Bonnie
Bonnie formed out of a poorly organized tropical depression east of the Leeward Islands on
August 19. The new tropical storm moved west-northwest, passing north of the
Antilles, and reached hurricane strength north of
Puerto Rico on
August 22. At this point, Hurricane Bonnie turned to the northwest, away from the Bahamas and Florida, and toward the Carolinas. Bonnie strengthened into a 115 mph (185 km/h)
Category 3 hurricane, and retained this strength until just before landfall on
August 27 near
Wilmington, North Carolina. As it moved over land, it continued an eastward turn started just before landfall, and returned to the Atlantic as a tropical storm. Bonnie restrengthened to a minimal hurricane, but weakened as it headed rapidly to the northeast. Bonnie became extratropical on
August 30 while about 240 n mi south-southeast of
Newfoundland.
Bonnie produced a maximum of 14.61" (37.11cm.) of rain at a cooperative observing station located seven miles north of Wilmington, North Carolinas. Hurricane Bonnie is blamed for three deaths, and $720 million in damage, most of it in
Hampton Roads, Virginia. Bonnie was the 3rd hurricane to directly hit North Carolina in three years.
Tropical Storm Charley
Charley formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on
August 21 from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of
Africa on the 9th. It headed west, and strengthened to a peak of 70 mph just as it was making landfall near
Port Aransas, Texas on
August 22. Charley continued inland before dissipating near
Del Rio on
August 25.
Charley was responsible for serious inland flooding in and around
Val Verde County, Texas. Thirteen people died in
Texas, and seven deaths were reported across the border in
Ciudad Acuña,
Coahuila. In addition, 300-1,500 homes, businesses, mobile homes and apartments were either damaged or destroyed by the floods, amounting to a damage total of $50 million (1998 USD, $58 million 2005 USD). Del Rio recorded 17 inches (43cm) of rain in 24 hours from the storm, a record for the city and the most rainfall from a tropical cyclone in Texas since
Tropical Storm Claudette in 1979.
[1]
Hurricane Danielle
Danielle was named on
August 24 while roughly 600 n mi (965 km) west-southwest of Cape Verde. The storm headed west-northwest and strengthened into a hurricane. Hurricane Danielle followed a nearly straight track for almost six days with its strength oscillating between a strong Category 2 storm and a weak Category 1. As it began to approach the
United States on
August 31, Danielle turned, first to the north, then the northeast. Bonnie had finally moved off to the northeast after making landfall on the Carolina coast on
August 28. Now all eyes were on Danielle, which by now was a Category 2 hurricane on the
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale with sustained winds of 100 mph (161 km/h).
Danielle continued quickly northwest. A trough in the jet stream on the east coast prevented Danielle from making landfall in
Bermuda. As Danielle headed over colder water, it began losing its tropical characteristics. It was declared extratropical while south of
Cape Race, Newfoundland on
September 4. Danielle still had hurricane force winds when it became extratropical, and remained organized as it continued to the east. The extratropical storm was tracked until it merged with another system north of
Ireland on
September 8.
No deaths were reported from Danielle as a tropical system. Danielle dissipated and became extratropical on
September 3. The
British Isles took quite a lashing from the remnants of Danielle on
September 6. Some people had to be rescued from treacherous sea conditions. Danielle was responsible for coastal damage in western
Great Britain, causing beach evacuations in
Cornwall.
Hurricane Earl
Earl became a named system in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on
August 31. It headed generally northeast, and although it retained a subtropical-type structure with a comma head pattern and a large dry slot, it reached hurricane strength on
September 2 while 125 n mi south-southeast of
New Orleans, Louisiana. It made landfall at
Category 1 on
September 3 near
Panama City, Florida. After travelling inland, Earl became extratropical over
Georgia, and then moved back out to sea and was tracked into the North Atlantic until it was absorbed by the extratropical remnants of Hurricane Danielle on
September 8.
Hurricane Earl was responsible for three deaths, and its eight foot
storm surge was largely responsible for an estimated $79 million in property damage. Prodigious rainfall fell during its transit of northern Florida, with 16.36" falling five miles northeast of Panama City, Florida.
Tropical Storm Frances
Frances formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on
September 8. It briefly drifted south, but then turned north and then northwest. It made landfall north of
Corpus Christi, Texas on
September 11 as a moderately strong tropical storm. It weakened to a tropical depression as it travelled north, and dissipated north of
Dallas, Texas.
The storm was relatively large, with tropical storm force winds extending 300 n mi (485 km) from the center of circulation. A storm surge of up to eight feet was reported along the Texas coastline, and rainfall totals for many areas exceeded ten inches.
Tropical Storm Frances was responsible for one direct death in
Lafourche Parish, Louisiana caused by a tornado. Heavy rainfall caused large amounts of flood damage in southeast Texas and southwest
Louisiana, with an estimated total of $500 million in property damage.
Hurricane Georges
A tropical wave that emerged from the coast of
Africa in mid September organized into a tropical depression on
September 15 while 300 n mi south-southwest of Cape Verde. It continued to develop, and reached tropical storm force on the
16th, while centered 620 n mi west-southwest of Cape Verde. Georges (Goar-juhs) took a typical track for a
Cape Verde-type hurricane, with a nearly straight west-northwest track. Georges continued to strengthen, and nearly reached Category 5 classification on
September 20, while 285 n mi east of
Guadeloupe. Georges weakened from this point on, but was on a track to travel up all of the
Leeward Islands and the
Greater Antilles.
On the
21st, Georges began its seven landfalls in the Lesser Antilles, starting with
Antigua. After passing through the smaller islands, it made landfall in Puerto Rico. It strengthened slightly as it left the island, but its passage over the mountainous terrain of
Hispaniola left it a minimal hurricane. Georges continued on, and travelled up the northern coast of
Cuba. By
September 25, it made landfall at
Key West, Florida at Category 2 strength. As it entered the Gulf of Mexico, Georges began a turn to the north, and made landfall near
Biloxi, Mississippi on
September 28. Georges meandered over southern
Mississippi, then slowly travelled east before dissipating over northern Florida on
October 1.
The damage caused by Georges was immense. There were 602 deaths directly associated with Georges, nearly all in the
Dominican Republic and
Haiti. Property damage to the
United States and its possessions is estimated at $5.9 billion. Monetary estimates of damage in other areas affected are not available. However, 185,000 were left homeless in the Dominican Republic, another 167,000 in Haiti, and 3,500 homes were destroyed in Cuba. Hurricane Georges was a very damaging storm, the 19th deadliest of the
20th century.
Tropical Storm Hermine
Hermine formed as a tropical depression several hundred miles south of
Louisiana on
September 17. The depression looped around offshore, then headed north. On
September 19, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Hermine. It made landfall the next day near
Cocodrie, Louisiana. The storm produced two tornadoes and caused one injury and minor damage.
[1]
Hurricane Ivan
A tropical wave just off Cape Verde organized into a tropical depression on
September 19, and then travelled west-northwest before strengthening into Tropical Storm Ivan. Ivan began heading north and strengthened to a hurricane. It then gradually turned to the east, passing just north of the Azores on
September 26. Hurricane Ivan became extratropical the next day. Ivan caused no reported damage, and there were no land-based reports of tropical storm force winds.
Hurricane Jeanne
Jeanne formed as a tropical depression on
September 21 while 140 n mi of
Guinea-Bissau. Jeanne formed farther east than any storm on record except for
Tropical Storm Christine in
1973. It moved west-northwest and was named Tropical Storm Jeanne later on the 21st. The storm continued strengthening, and became a Category 2 hurricane. On
September 25, Hurricane Jeanne began a slow turn to the right. By
September 27, it was heading north, and on
October 1, it crossed the Azores heading east as a weakening tropical storm. As it left the Azores, it became extratropical. The extratropical storm brought gale force winds to
Portugal on
October 4, and became unidentifiable over
Spain later that day. No damage was reported.
Hurricane Karl
Karl formed from a non-tropical low that travelled eastward just to the north of Bermuda on
September 23. After a southerly dip, The storm began a dip to the south, and strengthened to hurricane intensity on
September 25. It shared the Atlantic basin with Hurricanes Georges, Ivan, and Jeanne, the first time since
1893 that four hurricanes existed in the Atlantic simultaneously.
Hurricane Karl travelled generally northeast, and weakened to a tropical storm as it passed the Azores. On
September 28, it became extratropical and was tracked until it was south of
Ireland the next day.
Hurricane Lisa
Lisa formed midway between Africa and the Lesser Antilles on
October 5, as a 45 mph tropical storm.
[2]It headed generally north, and on
October 9, began accelerating. That afternoon its forward speed was greater than 50 knots, unusually fast for a tropical system. It briefly reached minimal hurricane strength, but merged with a front over the far northern Atlantic. By the next day it was unidentifiable as a storm. Hurricane Lisa never affected land and no damage was reported at sea.
Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch was one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever observed, with maximum sustained winds of 180
mph (290
km/h). Mitch battered
Central America from
October 22,
1998 to
November 5,
1998, killing at least 9,086 people and leaving over 9,000 missing. It was the deadliest hurricane in over 200 years and the second deadliest in Atlantic hurricane history.
Deaths were mostly from
flooding, when the slow-moving hurricane and then
tropical storm dropped nearly three
feet (900
mm) of rain. Tens of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, leaving over 3 million homeless. Damage is estimated at over $5 billion (1998 USD).
[3]
As a much weaker storm, Mitch later travelled over
Yucatán and then across Florida. It continued out into the north Atlantic and was tracked north of
Great Britain.
Hurricane Nicole
Nicole was a late season hurricane that formed from a non-tropical system in the eastern Atlantic. It was named on
November 24 while well west of the
Canary Islands. The storm moved west-southwest for several days, and wind shear caused it to weaken to a tropical depression on
November 26. The system was so weak that storm advisories were discontinued. However, it strengthened again and was again classified as a tropical storm on
November 27.
However, Nicole unexpectedly began a slow turn, and by
November 30, Nicole was heading northeast toward the
Azores as a minimal hurricane. The storm then turned back to the north and was classified as extratropical on
December 1. Hurricane Nicole never directly affected land and no damage was reported in association with it.
Other storms
.JPG)
Satellite image of possible April storm
On
April 1, a large circulation developed about 230 miles (370 km) northeast of the island of
Antigua. It deepened as it steadily northeastward, and developed deep convection near the surface circulation as the winds increased to gale force. The system developed
tropical characteristics in that the latent heat release in thunderstorms was the primary energy source.
[2] The
National Hurricane Center issued a
special tropical disturbance statement on
April 2, though by the following day the system began to weaken as the convection became disorganized.
[3] The low weakened further as it accelerated northeastward on
April 4. Several ships encountered the storm, several of which reported winds in excess of 40 mph. Ships in the area reported seas of up to 24 feet in height. The Tropical Prediction Center classified the system as a hybrid low,
and the National Hurricane Center reviewed data on the system to determine if it developed into a
subtropical cyclone. Ultimately, it was excluded from the Atlantic hurricane database.
A broad
low pressure area developed over the northwestern
Caribbean Sea on
October 19. It moved northwestward and gradually developed organized convection as it crossed the
Yucatan Peninsula. By
October 21, the system resembled the formative stage of earlier
Hurricane Earl and
Tropical Storm Frances. A strong
cold front to its north turned the system to the southwest,
[1] and convection continued to develop near a surface center of circulation. Despite interaction with the cold front, the system organized further, prompting an
Airforce reconnaissance flight into the area. On
October 23, the low moved ashore on
Veracruz before the recon flight reached the system. The low weakened and dissipated on
October 24 over
Mexico.
[5] The nature of the system is unknown; the organization just prior to landfall suggested
tropical characteristics, though its interaction with the cold front indicated non-tropical characteristics. As such, the Tropical Prediction Center classified the system as a hybrid/tropical low.
Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Rating
The table on the right shows the
ACE for each storm in the season. The ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed for, so hurricanes that lasted a long time have higher ACEs.
Storm names
The following names were used for named storms that formed in the north Atlantic in 1998. The names not retired from this list were used again in the
2004 season. This is the same list used for the
1992 season except for Alex, which replaced
Andrew. Storms were named Alex, Lisa, Mitch, and Nicole for the first time in 1998. Names that were not assigned are marked in .
Retirement
The
World Meteorological Organization retired two names in the spring of 1999: Georges and Mitch. They were replaced in the
2004 season by Gaston and Matthew.
See also
★
List of notable tropical cyclones
★
List of Atlantic hurricane seasons
External links
★
Monthly Weather Review
★
National Hurricane Center 1998 Atlantic hurricane season summary
.JPG)
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