2008 Atlantic hurricane season
| 2008 Atlantic hurricane season |
Season summary map
|
| Seasonal boundaries |
| First system formed |
May 31, 2008 |
| Last system dissipated |
November 10, 2008 |
| Strongest storm |
|
| Name |
Ike |
| • Maximum winds |
145 mph (230 km/h)
(1-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure |
935 mbar (hPa; 27.61 inHg) |
| Seasonal statistics |
| Total depressions |
17 |
| Total storms |
16 |
| Hurricanes |
8 |
Major hurricanes
(Cat. 3+) |
5 |
| Total fatalities |
855 direct, 192 indirect |
| Total damage |
~ $47.534 billion (2008 USD) |
| Related articles |
|
|
Atlantic hurricane seasons
2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
|
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
May 31 – June 1 |
| Peak intensity |
45 mph (75 km/h) (1-min) 1004 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 3 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
July 3 – July 20 |
| Peak intensity |
125 mph (205 km/h) (1-min) 952 mbar (hPa) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
July 19 – July 23 |
| Peak intensity |
65 mph (100 km/h) (1-min) 998 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
July 20 – July 25 |
| Peak intensity |
100 mph (155 km/h) (1-min) 963 mbar (hPa) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 3 – August 6 |
| Peak intensity |
65 mph (100 km/h) (1-min) 996 mbar (hPa) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 15 – August 27 |
| Peak intensity |
70 mph (110 km/h) (1-min) 986 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 4 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 25 – September 4 |
| Peak intensity |
155 mph (250 km/h) (1-min) 941 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 28 – September 7 |
| Peak intensity |
85 mph (140 km/h) (1-min) 977 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 4 hurricane (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
September 1 – September 14 |
| Peak intensity |
145 mph (230 km/h) (1-min) 935 mbar (hPa) |
The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season was a very active hurricane season with sixteen named storms formed, including eight that became hurricanes and five that became major hurricanes. The season officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. However, the formation of Tropical Storm Arthur caused the season to start two days early. This season is the fourth most costly on record, behind only the 2004, 2005 and 2012 seasons, with over $47.5 billion in damage (2008 USD). It was the fourth busiest year since 1944 and the only year on record in which a major hurricane existed in every month from July through November in the North Atlantic. Bertha became the longest lived July tropical cyclone on record for the basin, the first of several long-lived systems during 2008. The season was devastating for Haiti, where over 800 people were killed by four consecutive tropical cyclones (Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike), especially Hanna, in August and September. Hurricane Paloma's outer rain bands also made landfall over Haiti. Ike was also the most destructive storm of the season, as well as the strongest, devastating Cuba as a major hurricane and later making landfall near Galveston, Texas at Category 2 (nearly Category 3) intensity.
One very unusual feat was a streak of tropical cyclones affecting land. All but one system impacted land in 2008. The unprecedented number of storms with impact led to one of the deadliest and destructive seasons in the history of the Atlantic basin, especially with Hurricane Ike, as its overall damages made it the third costliest hurricane in the Atlantic.
Forecasts of hurricane activity are issued before each hurricane season by noted hurricane experts Dr. Philip J. Klotzbach, Dr. William M. Gray, and their associates at Colorado State University; and separately by NOAA forecasters.
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Wikipedia
