1998 Atlantic hurricane season
| 1998 Atlantic hurricane season |
Season summary map
|
| Seasonal boundaries |
| First system formed |
July 27, 1998 |
| Last system dissipated |
December 1, 1998 |
| Strongest storm |
|
| Name |
Mitch |
| • Maximum winds |
180 mph (285 km/h)
(1-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure |
905 mbar (hPa; 26.72 inHg) |
| Seasonal statistics |
| Total depressions |
14 |
| Total storms |
14 |
| Hurricanes |
10 |
Major hurricanes
(Cat. 3+) |
3 |
| Total fatalities |
19,963 total |
| Total damage |
$17.535 billion (1998 USD) |
| Related article |
|
|
Atlantic hurricane seasons
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
|
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
July 27 – August 2 |
| Peak intensity |
50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min) 1000 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 3 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 19 – August 30 |
| Peak intensity |
115 mph (185 km/h) (1-min) 954 mbar (hPa) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 21 – August 24 |
| Peak intensity |
70 mph (110 km/h) (1-min) 1000 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 24 – September 3 |
| Peak intensity |
105 mph (165 km/h) (1-min) 960 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 31 – September 3 |
| Peak intensity |
100 mph (155 km/h) (1-min) 985 mbar (hPa) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
September 8 – September 13 |
| Peak intensity |
65 mph (100 km/h) (1-min) 990 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 4 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
September 15 – October 1 |
| Peak intensity |
155 mph (250 km/h) (1-min) 937 mbar (hPa) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
September 17 – September 20 |
| Peak intensity |
45 mph (75 km/h) (1-min) 999 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
September 19 – September 27 |
| Peak intensity |
90 mph (150 km/h) (1-min) 975 mbar (hPa) |
The 1998 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the deadliest and costliest Atlantic hurricane seasons that featured the highest number of storm-related fatalities in over 200 years. It officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30, dates which conventionally delimit the period during which most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean. The first tropical cyclone, Tropical Storm Alex, developed on July 27, and the season's final storm, Hurricane Nicole, became extratropical on December 1. The strongest storm, Mitch, was tied with Hurricane Dean for the seventh most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Mitch is also the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane in recorded history. The system dropped tremendous amounts of rainfall in Central America, causing 19,000 confirmed deaths and at least $6.2 billion (1998 USD) in damage. The season was the first since Hurricane Andrew in the 1992 season to feature a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale.
Several storms made landfall or directly affected land. Hurricane Bonnie made landfall in southeastern North Carolina as a Category 2 hurricane in late August, killing five people and causing about $1 billion in damage. Hurricane Earl caused $79 million in damage and three deaths after making landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. The two deadliest and most destructive hurricanes of the season, Hurricane Georges and Mitch, caused $9.72 billion in damage and $6.2 billion in damage, respectively. Hurricane Georges was an intense Category 4 hurricane that moved through many of the Caribbean Islands, causing significant damage before making landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi. Hurricane Mitch was a very powerful and destructive late-season hurricane that affected much of Central America before making landfall in Florida as a tropical storm. The significant amount of rainfall that Mitch produced across Central America caused significant damage and killed at least 11,000 people, making the system the second deadliest hurricane in recorded history, behind only the Great Hurricane of 1780.
...
Wikipedia
.jpg)
