1988 North Atlantic hurricane season
Hurricane Gilbert 1988
Hurricane Gilbert crossed Jamaica and the Yucatán Peninsula in September 1988 before striking mainland Mexico. Its exceptionally low pressure set an Atlantic record at the time, and its broad circulation spread destruction across the Caribbean and Gulf region.
Drag to pan. Pinch or Ctrl/⌘ + scroll to zoom. Keyboard: plus or minus to zoom, arrow keys to pan, and 0 to show the full track.
184 mph
Sep 14, 1988 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
From Jamaica to an exceptional peak
Gilbert developed east of Barbados on 8 September and strengthened while moving west-northwest into the Caribbean. It became a major hurricane before crossing Jamaica on 12 September. Rapid intensification resumed after the island passage.
The archive records peak one-minute winds of 160 kt and a central pressure of 888 hPa early on 14 September. Gilbert then struck the Yucatán Peninsula at Category 5 strength. Its pressure record stood until Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
Across the Gulf to mainland Mexico
The Yucatán crossing weakened Gilbert considerably, but it regained strength over the Gulf of Mexico. It reached mainland Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane on 16 September, then weakened inland as its remaining circulation moved north and northeast.
Gilbert caused 318 reported deaths and an estimated US$2.98 billion in damage at 1988 values. The storm's effects extended well beyond its center track through wind, rain and flooding. Its name was retired after the season.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Gilbert in brief
What was Hurricane Gilbert's highest wind speed?
184 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Sep 14, 1988, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Hurricane Gilbert?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Sep 13, 1988, 06:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane Gilbert's lowest pressure?
888 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Sep 14, 1988, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Hurricane Gilbert occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 8, 1988, 06:00 PM UTC to Sep 20, 1988, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 8, 1988, 06:00 PM UTC to Sep 19, 1988, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Hurricane Gilbert form?
In the North Atlantic basin, in the 1988 season. Its first archived position is 12°N, 54°W on Sep 8, 1988, 06:00 PM UTC.
Did Hurricane Gilbert make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 3 recorded positions; the strongest is 150 mph on Sep 14, 1988, 06:00 PM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology