Hurricane Luis

Hurricane Luis

Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Luis at peak intensity on September 3 east of the Lesser Antilles
Formed	August 27, 1995
Dissipated	September 12, 1995
(Extratropical after September 11)
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 140 mph (220 km/h)
Lowest pressure	935 mbar (hPa); 27.61 inHg
Fatalities	19 total
Damage	$3 billion (1995 USD)
Areas affected	Leeward Islands (especially Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Sint Eustatius, Saba, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin and Anguilla), Puerto Rico, Bermuda, parts of the Northeastern USA, Newfoundland
Part of the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Luis was an extremely destructive Cape Verde-type hurricane as well as one of the strongest, deadliest and most notable hurricanes of the incredible 1995 Atlantic hurricane season, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h). Luis was also the strongest hurricane to make landfall, and the third-most intense hurricane recorded during the extremely active season. The storm was the twelfth tropical storm, sixth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season. At one point, the storm was one of four simultaneous tropical systems in the Atlantic basin, along with Humberto, Iris, and Karen. The storm lasted for 15 days between late August and nearly middle September.

The system initially formed from a tropical wave south of Cape Verde islands, west of Africa on August 27 then subsequently attained tropical storm status on August 29. Two days later that day, the storm reached hurricane status; shortly thereafter, it rapidly strengthened into a 140 mph (220 km/h) category 4 hurricane. At this strength, it affected much of the Leeward Islands on September 4 to September 6. Throughout the following days, Luis gradually weakened as it accelerated safely to the west of Bermuda. As a category 1 hurricane, Luis made landfall on Newfoundland before it became extratropical on September 11.

It caused catastrophic damage in Antigua, Barbuda, St. Barthelemy, St Martin and Anguilla as a Category 4 with winds of 135 mph (215 km/h). The storm accounted for 19 deaths, left nearly 70,000 homeless (mostly in Antigua, Barbuda and Saint Martin) and caused roughly $3 billion (1995 USD) in damage across the affected areas. Hurricane Luis was the strongest and most devastating hurricane to strike the northern Leeward Islands in the 20th century and the strongest storm to hit the Leeward Islands as a whole since Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Additionally, Luis was the second of three tropical cyclones to affect Guadeloupe in a short period of time, the first being Hurricane Iris a week before and the last being Hurricane Marilyn only ten days afterward. The next year, the Leeward Islands would be struck by Hurricane Bertha, while still repairing from Luis and Marilyn, then successively hit by Hortense, Erika, Georges, Jose, Lenny and Debby.