2008 Atlantic hurricane season

The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 2008 and ended on 30 November 2008. Within this period are the most tropical storms, since only at this time suitable conditions, such as a warm ocean, moist air and little wind shear, exist, to allow the formation of tropical cyclones.

Storms in the eastern Pacific Ocean are part of the Pacific hurricane season of 2008.

  • 3.1 Tropical Storm Arthur
  • 3.2 Hurricane Bertha
  • 3.3 Tropical Storm Cristobal
  • 3.4 Hurricane Dolly
  • 3.5 Tropical Storm Edouard
  • 3.6 Tropical Storm Fay
  • 3.7 Hurricane Gustav
  • 3.8 Hurricane Hanna
  • 3.9 Hurricane Ike
  • 3:10 Tropical Storm Josephine
  • 3:11 Hurricane Kyle
  • 3:12 Tropical Storm Laura
  • 3:13 Tropical Storm Marco
  • 3:14 Tropical Storm Nana
  • 3:15 Hurricane Omar
  • 3:16 Tropical Depression Sixteen
  • 3:17 Hurricane Paloma

Season forecasts

Predictions about the activity of the coming hurricane season will be created each year by the recognized hurricane experts Philip J. Klotzbach and William M. Gray and her staff at Colorado State University and separately by the meteorologists at the NOAA.

Klotz 's team defined the average number of storms per season on average (1950-2000) to 9.6 tropical storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 major hurricanes ( ie, those at least on the Saffir -Simpson Hurricane Scale are classified to category 3 ). A normal season, as it was fixed by the NOAA, consists of 9-12 named storms, 5-7 of which reach hurricane strength and 1-3 major hurricanes.

Predictions before the season

On 7 December 2007 Klotz 's team predicted an above-average activity with 13 named storms in a first forecast for the Atlantic hurricane season of 2008. Through the team is expected that seven of storms to be a hurricane, with three of them achieve category 3. On 9 April 2008 those figures were revised upwards. In 2008, 15 named storms now be expected. Eight storms should strengthen into hurricanes, where 4 would achieve category 3.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) is in its forecast, which was released on May 22, from a season with slightly above-average activity. According to the estimates, the NOAA expects 12-16 named tropical storms, of which 6-9 to reach the intensity of hurricanes, 2-5 of these hurricanes become major hurricanes. Accordingly, this year's season by the decades-long cycle of oceanic and atmospheric conditions that could increase hurricane activity since 1995 and the expected effect of La Niña is determined. The forecast of the Climate Prediction Center of NOAA relies on comparison of past hurricane seasons with similar circumstances.

Forecasts over the course of the season

Klotzbach and Gray confirmed in their latest forecasts on June 3, their prediction on 9 April 2008 with 15 storms, 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes.

On 18 June, the British Met Office ( UKMO ) published his assumption that the 15 form of tropical storms from July to November, with no indication of the distribution of these storms was made after their intensity.

On August 5, the CSU laid down on 17 storms, nine hurricanes and five major hurricanes, slightly higher than the original prediction of 15 tropical storms. The lively start of the season also prompted the National Hurricane Center in his update from August 7 to a correction of the values ​​upwards. Saw the NHC likely in May still at 65 %, was now expected with 85 % probability of an above average course.

Season Summary

Overall, the U.S. weather agency NOAA scored in the last season 16 tropical storms, of which eight hurricanes. The long-term average of eleven tropical storms, including six hurricanes. However, the storms were unusually violent and broke five records since records began:

  • With "Dolly ", " Edouard ", " Fay ", " Gustav ", " Hanna " and " Ike" met six consecutive hurricanes on the mainland.
  • Cuba was hit by three major hurricanes (Category 3-5).
  • In five consecutive months, there was a hurricane that reached Category 3 or higher ( at least 178 km / h wind speed).
  • Hurricane " Berta " was a total of 17 days active, a record for the month of July
  • With " Fay " met for the first time the same tropical cyclone a single U.S. state (Florida ) four consecutive times.

Storms

Tropical Storm Arthur

On May 31, originated in the Gulf of Honduras, the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. The system moved westward and was already at the time of scale-up to a tropical storm over the Yucatán Peninsula. Despite the geographical and temporal proximity to the Pacific Tropical Storm Alma was a stand-alone system.

Hurricane Bertha

On 1 July, sparked a tropical wave off the coast of West Africa, which had developed so far on 3 July in conjunction with a near-surface low-pressure area that the NHC classified the system as a second tropical depression of the year in the Atlantic basin. Six hours later the system to Tropical Storm Bertha was upgraded. On July 7, Berta in 2008 reached hurricane strength as the first storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. The rapid intensification continued, and in the afternoon Bertha had become a well-trained eye and wind speeds of 195 km / h to a Category 3 hurricane. Due to wind shear Bertha temporarily lost strength and was downgraded on July 8 in Category 1 of the Saffir -Simpson Hurricane Scale. However, Bertha intensified again and formed on July 9, again one eye, then the NHC Hurricane highly classified again into the category 2. On July 10, weakened the system, due to a cyclical Eyewall - formation, again in the category 1 from. Little by little, changed the direction of pull of Bertha West to North North West. On July 12, decreased southeast of Bermuda, the forward speed and Bertha remained almost stationary, which favored the weakening to a tropical storm on July 13. Due to a high pressure ridge to the pulling direction of Bertha changed initially to the northeast and then southeast until the storm came under influence of the west wind zone and finally struck a north-easterly direction. On July 18, Bertha could again intensify into a Category 1 hurricane. The pull to the northeast and accelerated over colder water, the storm lost strength. On July 20, the NHC Bertha declared extratropical.

Tropical Storm Cristobal

On July 18, the NHC watching a low pressure system off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, ruling that it could form a tropical depression, because the conditions in the immediate environment of the system were favorable for further development. A few hours later, the NHC said the system to Tropical Depression Three, and on 19 July at 14:00 local time clock ( clock 18:00 UTC) Tropical Storm Cristobal, as the center of the system, about 160 kilometers east of Charleston and 365 km southwest of Cape Hatteras was. The system migrated parallel to the Atlantic coast of South and North Carolina to the north- east.

Hurricane Dolly

On July 20, for several days already existed a low pressure area in the Caribbean, which slowly moved to west-north- westerly direction and, despite the strong winds, in the strength of a tropical storm and the exist a sufficient convection initially not managed to build a near-surface circulation. The system has been classified by the NHC on July 20 as a tropical storm Dolly. Dolly went away on July 21 as a weak, poorly developed tropical storm over the far north of the Yucatán Peninsula and reached during the day in the Western Gulf of Mexico. The storm then moved on towards the border between the United States and Mexico northwestward. On July 22, Dolly reached hurricane strength and the next day put the NHC -lasting peak wind speeds of over 155 km / h fixed. The storm center moved on 23 July around 13:00 local time clock with sustained winds of over 155 km per hour on South Padre Iceland away, the air pressure at this time was 965 hPa

The rains caused landslides in Guatemala, where 17 people were killed. In Texas and Mexico, the hurricane left no loss of life, however, caused great damage to property. The storm dissipated on July 25 over northern Mexico on the residual depth migrated with heavy rains over New Mexico and western Texas northward.

Tropical Storm Edouard

In the north- east of the Gulf of Mexico in early August showers and thunderstorms from which emerged on August 3, the fifth tropical depression of the season were formed. It intensified and on 3 August, the NHC gave the system the name of "Edouard ". The storm moved westward along the Gulf Coast and became a strong tropical storm. On August 5, the ongoing winds reached with a central pressure of 996 hPa temporarily speeds up to 100 km / h with peak gusts to 120 km / h On the morning of August 5th the storm center crossed at Port Arthur the Texas coast near the border with Louisiana. There were mostly only slight damage, but occasionally up to 37,000 people were cut off from the power supply. Locally fell more than 100 mm of rainfall, due to the occasional flash floods but no personal injuries were reported. On August 7, the NHC noted that further development Edouard is not expected.

Tropical Storm Fay

On August 10, a tropical wave formed near the Cape Verde islands, which moved westward across the Atlantic Ocean. They intensified continuously and soon reached wind speeds, which are common to a tropical storm. However, initially lacked an important criterion for classification as a tropical depression, a closed circulation. As the system through the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico pulled away, it caused heavy rains there. In the evening of August 15, such a circulation, and the system formed was declared Tropical Storm Fay. Fay was moving in a westerly direction over Hispaniola away, where he took care of violent floods, with at least 40 people have been killed. In Haiti, a fully loaded bus crashed with about 60 people in a river, with around half de passengers were drowned. In Cuba were around 4,000 people from low -lying areas, or who live on the edge of rivers and streams, evacuated. Fay brought there, especially in the southern coastal regions of the eastern provinces (Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba and Granma ) and in central Cuba with heavy rains to that formed mainly in the eastern foothills. The highest rainfall was measured in Agabama, Sancti Spiritus. Here fell, according to the Meteorological Institute of Cuba 463 millimeters of rain in 24 hours. There were roofs of houses and trees uprooted covered, which led to disturbances in the power supply and telephone lines interrupted. Also entered rivers and streams overflow their banks. However, people did not come here to harm according to official figures. Again over the open water pulled Fay northward and crossed on August 18 around 15:00 local time clock Key West. A west and northwest of the storm lying trough Fay directed to the northeast. Therefore, the storm spent less time on the water and intensified not strong as expected. 5:00 clock local time on August 19, Fay crossed the coastline of the mainland at Cape Romano south of Naples. Fay crossed southern Florida. Overland, the storm intensified unexpectedly and remained first with continuous wind speeds of 100 km / h just below hurricane strength. Over the eastern half of South Florida's forward speed almost came to a standstill and Fay weakened slightly to reach about 25 km south of Melbourne on the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the early morning of August 20. About the Ocean Fay began again with the intensification, but was captured by a ridge of high pressure and initially deflected to the north. After the storm at Cape Canaveral almost came to a standstill for a day, the center crossed the coast at Flagler Beach again and turned westward. Fay crossed the northern Florida in the area around Gainesville ( Florida) and the storm center came in the Big Bend south of Tallahassee again first on the water, but then moved across the Florida Panhandle in the area north of Cape San Blas.

Hurricane Gustav

The Tropical Depression Seven developed on August 25, about 415 km southeast of Port-au -Prince, Haiti. It moves in a northwesterly direction and was on August 25, a tropical storm " Gustav " upgraded. After a maximum wind speed at 130 km / h was determined by a hurricane reconnaissance aircraft, the NHC " Gustav " classified up to the level 1 hurricane on August 26. The hurricane swept over the Tiburon Peninsula in the south of Haiti, and then turned westward to. He lost power and was therefore downgraded the late evening of August 27 a tropical storm. The cyclone track went further south than expected at this stage, so the influence of the country to further intensify at first prevented. On the night of Aug. 29 storm over Jamaica pulled away.

After the storm center was again above the water of the Caribbean Sea, Gustav intensified back to the hurricane. According to official data of the hurricane called alone in the Caribbean 78 lives, 59 of them in Haiti. The newspaper Jamaica Gleaner reported that in Jamaica temporarily 41 percent of the population were cut off from the power supply. After passing through the Cayman Islands Gustav was on the morning of August 30 as a Category 3 hurricane for the second major hurricane of the year. He moved further to the northwest to west Cuba. In the vicinity of belonging to Cuba, Isla de la Juventud, he reached with wind speeds of 230 km / h, the category 4 on the Saffir -Simpson Hurricane Scale. On the evening of August 30 the storm center moved near the city Carraguao, in the western province of Pinar del Rio, about 100 kilometers southwest of the capital Havana, with wind speeds of 240 km / h over the country. The influence of the country weakened the hurricane over Cuba, although more sharply than originally thought, Gustav still moved as a Category 3 hurricane in a northwesterly direction over the Gulf of Mexico.

In the United States the inhabitants of the coastal regions in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi were informed that they should prepare for a possible evacuation. On August 31, the evacuation of New Orleans was ordered.

Hurricane Hanna

The eighth tropical depression of the year formed on 28 August about 575 km east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands; during the day it became a tropical storm Hanna. On September 1, at 13:30 clock local time ( 17:30 UTC clock ) reached Hanna with sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour hurricane force and thus became the fourth hurricane of the season. At this time the system was near the island of Mayaguana in the southeast of the Bahamas. Hanna then weakened to a tropical storm and wandered for several days over the southeast of the Bahamas around. The storm invited here on the devastated already by Fay and Gustav Hispaniola heavy rains from, which alone in Haiti, 537 people lost their lives. Then the system suddenly struck a first north direction.

Hanna met on 6 September on the east coast of the United States, on the border between North Carolina and South Carolina. She moved along the east coast continue on the local cities. Shortly after the storm center on the morning of 7 September drove out to the open sea off Massachusetts, the system was no longer classified as tropical.

Hurricane Ike

A tropical disturbance developed from the end of August the coast of Africa. The system migrated south past the Cape Verde and slowly developed. On September 1, the NHC classified the disorder as a tropical depression nine, west of the Cape Verde Islands. On September 3, Ike developed an eye and was upgraded by the NHC to the hurricane. Ike intensified very quickly, the central pressure fell within twelve hours by 43 hPa Ike developed at this time to a Category 4 hurricane, the wind speeds of 230 km / h reached. On the way of the storm over the Turks and Caicos Islands he destroyed 80 % of all homes. In Haiti, at least 47 people lost their lives.

On September 8, at 1:45 clock ( UTC), the center of Ike reached speeds of 200 km / h, the Cuban coast near the Cabo Lucrecia, the municipality of Banes on the northern coast of Holguin province. The eye at that time had a diameter of 30 km. The clouds ranged on the edge of the eye to an altitude of 16 km. After Ike moved at a speed of around 210 km / h along the north coast towards the province of Las Tunas. In the south of the province of Ciego de Ávila Ike moved as a category 1 hurricane back out to sea and moved along the south coast of Cuba in a northwesterly direction northwest on the highly-drawn already by Hurricane Gustav affected province of Pinar del Río to. Here Ike taught particularly in the eastern provinces of severe damage to buildings, infrastructure and agriculture. The extent of damage in Cuba is estimated at around four billion U.S. dollars. In eleven of the 14 provinces of the power was turned off on September 9 precaution. Four people died, according to the Cuban authorities killed more than two million have been placed in secure accommodation as a precaution.

On September 9, the storm came through the west of the island away in the Gulf of Mexico, where its extension enlarged enormously and headed for Texas. In Galveston, which has already been devastated by a hurricane in 1900 with 6,000 victims and several coastal counties, the authorities ordered the forced evacuation and called for a million people to leave the coastal areas. On September 11, Ike's intensity was highly placed in category 2. Hurricane Ike pushed because of its immense extent of 1400 km in diameter up to six meter high tidal wave in front of it. The Bolivar Peninsula was the hardest hit by the storm surge, but also Galveston and Port Arthur have been greatly affected. Ike hit in the early morning hours of the 13th September between Corpus Christi and Houston on land. Inland, Ike caused heavy rainfall and wind damage that extended into the Midwest and to the north by Pennsylvania. On September 13, Ike was downgraded to a tropical storm and Ike became extratropical on September 14. On a length of 160 kilometers, approximately 100,000 homes by floods were affected. The city about 30 kilometers southeast of Galveston Houston location was flooded to a large extent. Severe damage occurred in the facilities for power supply. The subsequent rescue operation was the largest in the history of the United States, as approximately 140,000 residents of the evacuation had resisted.

The damage from Ike is estimated at 31.5 billion U.S. dollars. Ike has thus caused by Katrina and Andrew, the third highest amount of damage in the United States by a hurricane. In Texas, Ike was the most destructive hurricane by then.

Overall, Hurricane Ike killed at least 177 people. The radius of maximum winds reached a stretch of 390 km, the strength of a tropical storm was measured in a radius of 885 km. Both figures are the highest that have been recorded in the Atlantic basin. Ike also had the second highest calculated in this area Integrated Kinetic Energy (IKE ) for the last forty years. Integrated Kinetic Energy is a measure of the destructive potential of a storm surge, which is similar to the Saffir -Simpson hurricane scale, but is determined more complex. The scale ranges from 1 to 6; Ike reached an IKE value of 5.2.

Tropical Storm Josephine

The end of August was formed even on the mainland of West Africa, a tropical disturbance. This evolved and on 2 September this system declared the NHC south-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands for the tenth tropical depression of the season. When the system south passed before the Cape Verde Islands during the day, it had so far intensified that the NHC classified the system as Tropical Storm Josephine. The storm moved westward and dissipated on September 6, to have jeopardized without land.

Hurricane Kyle

Hurricane Kyle emerged from a low-pressure area, which already caused a day earlier for heavy rainfall on the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. On 25 September 2008, the system developed into a tropical storm and given the name Kyle. At this time, the center was located north of the aforementioned islands and east of the Bahamas, continued northward moving. In the afternoon (EDT) of September 27, Kyle was upgraded to a category 1 hurricane. The storm continued on his way northward and kept until reaching the mainland near Yarmouth in Canada on the evening of September 26 hurricane strength. Several hours later, the storm became extratropical, as the cool waters of the Bay of Fundy took its effects. Overall, the Atlantic provinces of Canada escaped the expected damage.

Tropical Storm Laura

In the last week of September, there was a very large non - tropical low pressure system over the north-central Atlantic. In a position approximately 1435 km west of the westernmost island of the Azores, moving in west-north- westerly direction, the depth was slowly tropical characteristics and was declared a sub-tropical storm on 29 September and was named Laura. Due to later onset of thermal advection Laura was classified in the afternoon ( local time) on September 30, Tropical Storm. On October 1, Laura became extratropical over the cold waters of the North Atlantic.

Tropical Storm Marco

The 13th tropical depression of the year in the Atlantic basin was formed on 6 October in the Bay of Campeche and intensified in the afternoon of the day Tropical Storm Marco, the wind speeds of 100 km / h and a central pressure of 998 hPa reached. The next morning the storm at Vera Cruz, Mexico took over the coastline and vanished into the night, when his small circulation was fully arrived on the mainland.

Tropical Storm Nana

Tropical Storm Nana developed on October 12, midway between Africa and the Lesser Antilles directly from a few days wandering westward tropical disturbance. The storm was short lived and was graded as early as the second warning to a tropical depression. On 14 October, Nana weakened to a remnant low.

Hurricane Omar

In the second week of October, the development of a tropical disturbance that drifted slowly through the region began. This system slowly grew in intensity and on October 13, southwest of Puerto Rico classified as a tropical depression. On October 14, the NHC classified the system south of Puerto Rico high to Tropical Storm Omar. The storm intensified rapidly and was upgraded by NHC in the early morning hours of October 15, a hurricane. Like Wrong Way Lenny crossed the hurricane the Caribbean contrary to the usual direction of pull of tropical cyclones and wandered from southwest to northeast.

During the October 15, Omar strengthened to a major hurricane. The storm center then moved over the Anegada Passage between the Virgin islands east of time. Omar reached on 16 October from 06:00 UTC clock its greatest intensity with winds of about 215 km / h and a central pressure of 958 hPa Since the system is faced with the winds with stronger wind shear looked after passing the islands, went the intensity of the hurricane rapidly back. About nine hours after the storm peak Omar was only a Category 1 hurricane, its sustained wind speed at the time still 140 km / h. The storm weakened to a tropical storm, reached the next day but again for a short time hurricane strength. On 18 October, Omar weakened against the remnant low. With Omar no direct victims to be associated.

Tropical Depression Sixteen

On October 14, the NHC classified a system from Cabo Gracias a Dios on the border between Honduras and Nicaragua to Tropical Depression Sixteen. The Track of the system snuggled up to the north coast of Honduras, where a major intensification was prevented. After it was taken on October 15 on the mainland, it slowed down and the residual depth remained almost stationary for several days over the north and Costa Rica to the south-east of Mexico, where it caused heavy rainfall.

Hurricane Paloma

A low pressure system was early November stationary in the Caribbean east of Nicaragua, without for a few days to develop further tropical. On November 5, the system organized into a tropical depression and intensified the day after Tropical Storm Paloma. This name was given for the first time. The system initially walked past in north-north- westerly direction to Cabo Gracias a Dios. On November 7, Paloma was qualified as a hurricane level 1. On his way towards Cuba strengthened the system quickly, reaching around 5 clock local time ( 11 CLOCK CET) on November 8 near the Cayman Islands, the second-highest category 4 with wind speeds around 215 km / h There Paloma caused severe flooding and severe damage to buildings on mainly on the islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Against 18:20 clock local time Paloma reached slightly weaker with wind speeds of 200 km / h ( category 3) the coastline of Cuba near Santa Cruz del Sur in the province of Camagüey. There, in a severe hurricane in 1932 around 3,000 people were killed. However Paloma taught at only property damage. In Cuban mainland Paloma turned to the north and decelerated in the course of the 9th November at a tropical depression off and broke up until the evening local time the same day and moved as a remnant low further north. In total, over 400 houses totally destroyed by Paloma in Cuba. The electricity and telephone network in the affected region was heavily affected.

Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE )

The adjacent table shows the ACE for each storm this year. The ACE describes the energy of a tropical storm by the strength of a storm is multiplied by the duration, that is, long -lasting storms and severe storms have a high ACE value. Traditionally, from the NOAA only storms with wind speeds of over 34 knots (63 km / h) recorded. The table does not include why the values ​​for Laura in the time that the storm was subtropical.

Time course of the season

Storm names

The Atlantic hurricane season of 2008, the following names were used. This list is identical to the list for the Atlantic hurricane season 2002, with the exception of the name Ike and Laura, who replaced Isidore and Lili. This list will be used again in 2014, with the exception of the names that have been deleted by the World Meteorological Organization from the list of names of tropical cyclones, Gustav, Ike and Paloma. These names were replaced with Gonzalo, Isaias and Paulette.

  • Arthur
  • Bertha
  • Cristobal
  • Dolly
  • Edouard
  • Fay
  • Gustav
  • Hanna
  • Ike
  • Josephine
  • Kyle
  • Laura
  • Marco
  • Nana
  • Omar
  • Paloma
  • Rene ( not awarded)
  • Sally ( not awarded)
  • Teddy ( not awarded)
  • Vicky ( not awarded)
  • Wilfred ( not awarded)
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