Back Atlantische Hurrikansaison 1998 German Temporada de huracanes en el Atlántico de 1998 Spanish Saison cyclonique 1998 dans l'océan Atlantique nord French Atlantisch orkaanseizoen 1998 Dutch Temporada de furacões no oceano Atlântico de 1998 Portuguese 1998 Atlantic hurricane season SIMPLE Atlantiska orkansäsongen 1998 Swedish
| 1998 Atlantic hurricane season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | July 27, 1998 |
| Last system dissipated | December 1, 1998 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Mitch |
| • Maximum winds | 180 mph (285 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 905 mbar (hPa; 26.72 inHg) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total depressions | 14 |
| Total storms | 14 |
| Hurricanes | 10 |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) | 3 |
| Total fatalities | >12,007 total (Second-deadliest Atlantic season on record) |
| Total damage | $17.08 billion (1998 USD) |
| Related articles | |
The 1998 Atlantic hurricane season was a catastrophic and deadly Atlantic hurricane season, which had the highest number of storm-related fatalities in over 218 years and some of the costliest ever at the time.[1] The season had above average activity, due to the dissipation of an El Niño event and transition to La Niña conditions. It officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30, dates which conventionally delimit the period during which most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean.[2] The season had a rather slow start, with no tropical cyclones forming in June. The first tropical cyclone, Tropical Storm Alex, developed on July 27, and the season's final storm, Hurricane Nicole, became extratropical on December 1.
Several storms made landfall or directly affected land. Hurricane Bonnie made landfall in southeastern North Carolina as a Category 2 hurricane in late August, killing five people and causing about $1 billion in damage. Hurricane Earl caused $79 million in damage and three deaths after making landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane.
The most notable storms were Hurricane Georges and Hurricane Mitch. Georges devastated Saint Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic as a major Category 3 storm but peaked as a high-end Category 4 hurricane just before moving through many of the Caribbean Islands before affecting the southern US mainland, making its landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi, causing significant damage and at least 600 confirmed deaths. Mitch was a destructive Category 5 hurricane that affected much of Central America before making landfall in Florida as a tropical storm. It caused significant damage and killed at least 11,000 people in Central America, and was the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane in recorded history, behind only the Great Hurricane of 1780. Georges and Mitch caused $9.37 billion in damage and $6.08 billion (1998 USD)[nb 1] in damage, respectively. As a whole, and the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season was, at the time, the second-costliest season on record, after the 1992 season.
- ^ 1998: A "Mean" Season For Atlantic Hurricanes (Report). Silver Springs, Maryland: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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