** This list has been determined by the lowest central pressure of the hurricane, at peak intensity. There are other ways to determine how strong a hurricane is, as its rating on the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale or by Maximum Sustained Winds. **
The Hurricane Season is upon us, from The Weatherman of Mixer FAMER4 A.K.A Sir_Famesly!!!
In the Atlantic, the Hurricane Season is well and truly underway (starting June 1st 2019 and ending November 30th 2019), and there have been some major storms this season. For example, Hurricane Dorian, which ripped through the Bahamas as a Category 5 Hurricane (with maximum sustained winds, at landfall, of 185 mph) causing CATASTROPHIC damage to the town of Marsh Harbour in the Abaco Islands, before skirting around the east coast of Florida. And this storm is not making it on the list, due to central pressure at peak intensity only being 910 millibars. The hurricanes featured on this list are all stronger in terms of lowest central pressure.
10. Hurricane Maria (908 millibars)
Hurricane Maria is the latest storm to be included on this list, and is the weakest of all on this list, in terms of pressure. Still ranking in as a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir Simpson Scale, and is the third costliest storm in US History.
Forming over waters near off the West Coast of Africa, it remained a tropical wave until September 16th, when it started strengthening gradually, to a category 1 hurricane with 85 mph. On 18th September however, it strengthened dramatically, up to category 5 level, with Maximum Sustained Winds of 160 mph. It weakened slightly as it headed towards Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but it restrengthened as it reached Bermuda. It then took a more easterly path, towards the UK, but dissipated before it could impact the United Kingdom.
Impacts in the Dominican Republic were catastrophic, as it was the most intense hurricane to hit the island, damaging pretty much every single home in the Dominican, including that of the Prime Minister. 25% of the houses damaged, were completely destroyed and thousands of people lost their lives, due to such a mind-blowing storm.
STATS of Maria
Max wind: 165 MPH
Lowest Pressure: 908 millibars
Deaths: 3059
Damage Total: $39.61 billion
9. Hurricane Dean (905 millibars)
Hurricane Dean was the strongest hurricane of the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season and the most intense since Hurricane Wilma 2 years prior. Despite being the strongest hurricane of the season, it only caused 45 fatalities (both direct and indirect). Dean was also the first category 5 hurricane to make landfall since Hurricane Andrew (back in 1992).Dean first formed as a tropical wave off the west coast of Africa, quickly forming into Tropical Depression 4 and intensified just as quickly to Tropical Storm Dean, the day after becoming a tropical depression. Intensification continued steadily, with the formation of a partial eyewall on the same day as it becoming a tropical storm. It became a hurricane not long after that, with a deep level ridge to the north of it, helping with intensification. It did temporarily weaken from a category 5, but restrengthened before making landfall at the Costa Maya region of Quintana Roo.
15 countries felt effects from Dean, but only 45 deaths were recorded. Most of these being in Haiti, where 14 deaths were reported, all of them being directly caused by the storm. The value of damage from the storm topped off at just over $1 billion.
STATS of Dean
Max Wind: 175 MPH
Lowest Pressure: 905 Millibars
Deaths: 45
Damage Total: $1.66 billion
8. Hurricane Mitch (905 millibars)
Hurricane Mitch also had a lowest central pressure of 905 millibars, being the same as Dean, but impacted back in 1998 and is the second deadliest storm on record, ranking it higher than Dean on this list. Mitch was the 13th named storm of the 1998 hurricane season, and the 3rd major hurricane of that season.
Mitch developed from a tropical depression to a tropical storm over the Carribean Sea after executing a small loop on October 22nd. The storm became disorganised due to high-level shear but quickly intensified due to favourable conditions including good outflow and warm carribean waters, developing an eye on the 24th. The storm continued to grow in size, becoming a category 5 on the 26th (one day after it became a category 3).
It took an unexpected southward turn, slamming into Honduras as a category 5. The impacts were substantial, causing damage to all departments of Honduras, and affecting near to the entire population. The storm continued to wreak havoc in South America, before going back over waters toward Naples, Florida, causing $40 million in damages to the state.
STATS of Mitch
Max Wind:180 MPH
Lowest Pressure: 905 millibars
Deaths: 11374 (second-deadliest storm in the Atlantic)
Damage Total: $6.08 billion
7. Hurricane Katrina (902 millibars)
Where do I start with Hurricane Katrina, personally, I researched a lot on Katrina, as it is tied as the costliest tropical cyclone of all time. Katrina is known for the major damage it caused to the city of New Orleans in Louisiana, as well as devastating the city of Gulfport in Mississippi. It also devastated the levee system in New Orleans, causing such devastation in the city.
Katrina formed over the Bahama islands, after a merger of a tropical wave and TD (tropical depression) 10. After making its first landfall in Florida, it intensified rapidly, becoming a category 5 hurricane over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, even though it did weaken to a category 3 before making landfall in Louisiana.
The damage caused by Katrina has been labelled as "extensive destruction". 50 of the levee systems in New Orleans were penetrated by Katrina, causing a majority of the near 2000 deaths caused. But that combined with the devastation of New Orleans and Gulfport, to name a few towns that were obliterated, made this the costliest storm of all time (before being tied by Hurricane Harvey, 12 years later)
STATS of Katrina
Max Wind: 175 MPH
Lowest Pressure: 902 millibars
Deaths: 1836
Damage Total: $125 billion (tied as the costliest storm of all time)
6. Hurricane Camille (900 millibars)
This storm is labelled as the second strongest landfalling storm in US History. Developing south of Cuba from a long track tropical wave. It was located over an area of favourable rapid development, meaning it quickly intensified to a category 2 before striking western Cuba, it continued to strengthen up to a category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, before making a second landfall in Bay St. Louis (at half an hour before midnight).
The damage was tremendous, flattening nearly everything on the coast of the state of Mississippi. The storm also produced a peak storm surge of 24 feet. Even in the Appalachian Mountains, the storm produced additional flooding and deaths.
STATS for Camille
Max Wind: 175 MPH
Lowest Pressure: 900 millibars
Deaths: 259
Damage Total: $1.42 billion
STATS for Camille
Max Wind: 175 MPH
Lowest Pressure: 900 millibars
Deaths: 259
Damage Total: $1.42 billion
5. Hurricane Allen (899 millibars)
The first hurricane on this list to have a lowest central pressure below 900 millibars, and in my opinion one of the most majestic looking on satellite. This storm is also one of the most tenacious, being a category 5 hurricane 3 separate times during its lifespan, as well as having maximum sustained winds of 190 MPH.
The first stint that Allen had as a Cat 5 was over the caribbean sea, with pressure going as low as 911 millibars, and also due to winds and flooding, taking at least 220 lives in Haiti. It weakened below a category 5, before restrengthening and starting its second round of being a cat 5 (as it passed the northwest Caribbean, the Yucatan Strait and into the Gulf of Mexico). This was also when it hit 899 millibars and sustained winds was around 190 MPH at this time. The hurricane did reintensify to a Category 5, just 24 hours before making landfall near the city of Brownsville, Texas.
The storm caused around $300 million in damage, and 2 direct fatalities in South Texas, but the winds and storm surge was most potent in a sparsely populated region between Brownsville and the city of Corpus Christi.
STATS of Allen
Max Winds: 190 MPH
Lowest pressure: 899 millibars
Deaths: 269
Damage Total: $1.57 billion
4. Hurricane Rita (895 millibars)
Hurricane Rita developed only a month after Hurricane Katrina, during the record breaking 2005 hurricane season, forming near the Bahamas, it entered an environment of warm waters, moving westwards (after passing the Florida Straits), meaning it could rapidly intensify to its peak strength, with highest winds of 180 MPH, but it weakened down to a category 3 (with maximum sustained winds of 115 MPH) before making landfall.
Much of the Cameron Parish was devastated by storm surge, even though in some areas, the impacts of the storm was not as bad as people were expecting. The levee system that was put under a lot of pressure due to Katrina a month back, was not impacted greatly by Rita, but in towns like Beaumont, Texas and Lake Charles, Louisiana were greatly impacted by the winds of the storm.
STATS of Rita
Max Winds: 180 MPH
Lowest Pressure: 895 millibars
Deaths: 125
Damage Total: $18.5 billion
3. Labor Day Hurricane (892 millibars)
This storm was the most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in terms of pressure, and is the third most intense hurricane on this list. It is also tied with Hurricane Dorian for the strongest landfalling hurricane in terms of wind speed (185 mph) and has the lowest pressure of a landfalling hurricane in the United States. The storm was also quite compact (like Hurricane Andrew) and it took a narrow path through the Florida Keys, causing total catastrophic destruction, and it had a lowest central pressure of 892 millibars.
408 people lost their lives, many of them being veterans who were helping to build US Highway 1 through the Florida Keys. Other existing road and railway links across the keys were also completely obliterated, its record as the most powerful hurricane stood for 53 years, before the next hurricane on this list.
STATS of the Labor Day Hurricane
Max Wind: 185 MPH
Lowest Pressure: 892 millibars
Deaths: 423
Damage Total: $100 million
2. Hurricane Gilbert (888 millibars)
After a relatively quiet spell during the 1988 hurricane season, Category 1 hurricanes Debby and Florence formed in early September, setting the stage for Hurricane Gilbert. Forming as a tropical depression east of the Lesser Antilles, two days after that, it became a hurricane over eastern caribbean, continuing on to rip Jamaica, as a category 3 storm, killing 49 people and totalling $4 billion in damages. The storm then continued on strengthening, becoming a category 5 hurricane, AFTER making landfall in Jamaica. The landfall did not take the wind out of Gilberts sails, as to develop to the Category 5 hurricane, it underwent EXTREME RAPID INTENSIFICATION going from 952 millibars to 888 millibars in just 18 hours!
Gilbert is the second strongest hurricane on this list, with the second lowest recorded pressure, and we are nearing the end of this list, Gilbert causes major damage, and claimed only a total of 318 lives, with most of them being in Mexico (202), Jamaica lost 49 people from the storm and Haiti lost 30.
STATS of Gilbert:
Max wind: 185 MPH
Lowest Pressure: 888 millibars
Deaths: 318
Damage Total: $2.98 billion
1. Hurricane Wilma (882 millibars)
Hurricane Wilma was the most intense hurricanes to ever strike in the Atlantic Basin, and was the third of 3 hurricanes to be featured on this list (Katrina and Rita at #7 and #4 respectively). Hurricane Wilma was actually the first W name to be used for a hurricane, because of how severe the 2005 hurricane season was, with rapid hurricane development.
When Wilma formed, expectations were high, and models were saying that this was going to be a very intense cyclone, and they were right. It did take a few days for the tropical depression to form Hurricane Wilma, but when that happened, the turn of events with the storm would be something that I had never seen before in a storm. The pressure of the hurricane plummeted catastrophically, going from 980 millibars, all the way down to 882 millibars in the space of 24 hours (98 millibars in a day is unheard of and shows absolutely insane levels of storm development).
Wilma first made landfall Yucatan Islands and Cancun, Mexico as a category 4 hurricane, dropping 60 inches of rain on nearby Isla Mujeres, but did a u turn taking it right through south Florida, causing EXTENSIVE damage across the state ($21 billion total from the Hurricane). Wilma was the most intense hurricane in the Atlantic basin in terms of pressure, and its stats show that.
STATS of Wilma
Max Wind: 185 MPH
Lowest Pressure: 882 millibars
Deaths: 87
Damage Total: $27.4 billion
Wilma first made landfall Yucatan Islands and Cancun, Mexico as a category 4 hurricane, dropping 60 inches of rain on nearby Isla Mujeres, but did a u turn taking it right through south Florida, causing EXTENSIVE damage across the state ($21 billion total from the Hurricane). Wilma was the most intense hurricane in the Atlantic basin in terms of pressure, and its stats show that.
STATS of Wilma
Max Wind: 185 MPH
Lowest Pressure: 882 millibars
Deaths: 87
Damage Total: $27.4 billion
Final Remarks
These storms that I have mentioned on here are absolutely catastrophic, and we will have to hope we don't see a storm as big as one of these in the near future. But even if we do see a hurricane like Wilma (#1), or even one like Maria (#10), we would need to always be aware and prepare, having a plan in place can help save lives, so if we do get a major storm like any of these, it won't have the most fatalities on record.
FAMER4 (A.K.A Sir_Famesly)
The Weatherman of Mixer
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