1998 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1998 Atlantic hurricane season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. It officially started June 1, 1998, and lasted until November 30, 1998.

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 over 11,000 deaths, mostly in Honduras and Nicaragua, and just as many listed as missing. Mitch is one of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes on record, second only to the Great Hurricane of 1780.

Atlantic hurricane seasons
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Saffir–Simpson scale, 1-minute maximum sustained winds

Category	m/s	knots	mph	km/h
5	≥ 70	≥ 137	≥ 157	≥ 252
4	58–70	113–136	130–156	209–251
3	50–58	96–112	111–129	178–208
2	43–49	83–95	96–110	154–177
1	33–42	64–82	74–95	119–153
TS	18–32	34–63	39–73	63–118
TD	≤ 17	≤ 33	≤ 38	≤ 62

Storms

Tropical Storm Alex

Tropical storm Alex was first identified as a tropical depression on July 27, while 300 n mi south-southwest of Cape Verde. On the 29th, it was upgraded to tropical storm status. Alex headed west, but never strengthened significantly. Tropical Storm Alex dissipated on August 2 without affecting land.

Hurricane Bonnie

Bonnie formed out of a poorly organized tropical depression east of the Leeward Islands on August 20. The new tropical storm moved west-northwest, passing north of the Antilles, and reached hurricane strength north of Puerto Rico on the 22nd. At this point, Hurricane Bonnie turned to the northwest, away from the Bahamas and Florida, and toward the Carolinas.

As Bonnie headed northwest, it strengthened into a 115 mi/h Category 3 hurricane. It would stay at this strength from the 23rd 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 the 30th while about 240 n mi south-southeast of Newfoundland.

Hurricane Bonnie is blamed for three deaths, and $720 million in damage, most of it in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Tropical Storm Charley

Charley formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on August 21. It headed west, and was at near hurricane strength when it made landfall near Port Aransas, Texas on the 22nd. Tropical Storm Charley continued inland before dissipating near Del Rio.

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. Property damage was estimated at $50 million.

Hurricane Danielle

Danielle was named on August 24 while roughly 600 n mi 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.

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.

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 remained disorganized, it reached hurricane strength on October 2 while 125 n mi south-southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana. It made landfall at Category 1 on the 3rd 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.

Tropical Storm Frances

Frances formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on September 10. It briefly drifted south, but then turned north and then northwest. It made landfall north of Corpus Christi, Texas on the 11th 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 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 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. In most other seasons, Georges could easily be declared the worst storm of the season. However, a month later Hurricane Mitch would make Georges look minor by comparison.

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 the 19th, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Hermine. it made landfall the next day near Cocodrie, Louisiana. There were no reports of damage.

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 the 26th. 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 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 the 26th. The system was so weak that storm advisories were discontinued.

However, Nicole unexpectedly restrengthened and was again classified as a tropical storm on November 27. The storm began a slow turn, and by the 30th, 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.

1998 Hurricane names

Alex Bonnie Charley Danielle Earl Frances Georges

Hermine Ivan Jeanne Karl Lisa Mitch Nicole

Otto Paula Richard Shary Tomas Virginie Walter

Retirement

The World Meteorological Organization retired two names in the spring of 1999: Georges and Mitch. They were replaced in 2004 by Gaston and Matthew.

See also

• Tropical cyclone
• List of notable tropical cyclones
• List of Atlantic hurricane seasons

External link

• National Hurricane Center 1998 Atlantic hurricane season summary