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All storm pages · 1988 Atlantic season

Hurricane Gilbert 1988

Category 5 hurricane · Atlantic · September 8 to September 19, 1988

Gilbert's peak sustained wind of 185 mph is tied for the third-highest of the 1,988 storms in the Atlantic record since 1851, and one of 44 Category 5 storms in that record. Its central pressure fell to 888 mb, the second-lowest among the 1,277 Atlantic storms with a recorded pressure. Its 125 mph landfall in Tamaulipas on September 16, 1988 ranks tied for the second-strongest of the 26 storms with a landfall record there. The name Gilbert is on the National Hurricane Center's list of retired Atlantic hurricane names.

Track of Gilbert (1988) from the best-track record, coloured by strength20°N30°N40°N100°W90°W80°W70°W60°WJoplinJamaica, 130 mphQuintana Roo, 160 mphTamaulipas, 125 mphPeak 185 mphFirst recordNot tropicalDepressionTropical stormCategory 1Category 2Category 3Category 4Category 500 and 12 UTCLandfall

Strength over time

Maximum sustained wind of Gilbert (1988) over time, in mphTSCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 504080120160200Sep 9Sep 11Sep 13Sep 15Sep 17Sep 19mph
  1. First record (tropical depression) 385 miles east of Bridgetown, Saint Michael, Barbados
  2. Tropical storm 65 miles east of Fort-de-France, Martinique, France
  3. Hurricane 145 miles south of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  4. Major hurricane 140 miles south of Barahona, the Dominican Republic
  5. Landfall Jamaica: Category 4, 130 mph, 960 mb
  6. Peak 165 miles south-southwest of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
  7. Landfall Quintana Roo
  8. Landfall Tamaulipas
  9. No longer tropical (extratropical low) 30 miles north-northwest of Springfield, Illinois
  10. Last record 15 miles northwest of Muskegon, Michigan

Against every Atlantic storm since 1851

Peak sustained wind185 mph · tied 3rd of 1,98830 mph190 mph
Lowest central pressure888 mb · 2nd of 1,277882 mb1016 mb
Accumulated cyclone energy32.8 · 76th of 1,7520.173.6
Days as a tropical or subtropical cyclone10.8 days · tied 196th of 1,9880.0 days31.8 days

More from the record

Its 160 mph landfall in Quintana Roo on September 14, 1988 ranks the third-strongest of the 31 storms with a landfall record there.

It has landfall records in 3 different places: Jamaica, Quintana Roo and Tamaulipas.

It generated 32% of the season's accumulated cyclone energy, more than any other 1988 storm.

Its winds climbed 60 mph in the 24 hours to September 14.

In the 1988 season

04080120160200Gilbert

Storm 13 of 19 in 1988, hurricane 3 of 5; it formed after Florence and before Helene. See the season.

Places the center passed

The center came within 50 miles of at least 8 towns or cities of 10,000 people or more while the system was tropical. Distances are to the interpolated track line, not the storm's edge.

PlaceClosestWind thenDate
May Pen, Clarendon, Jamaica0 mi125 mphSeptember 12
Linares, Nuevo León, Mexico1 mi50 mphSeptember 17
Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica1 mi125 mphSeptember 12
Joplin, Missouri4 mi30 mphSeptember 19
Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico4 mi115 mphSeptember 15
Stillwater, Oklahoma4 mi30 mphSeptember 19
Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, Jamaica5 mi125 mphSeptember 12
Spanish Town, Saint Catherine, Jamaica5 mi125 mphSeptember 12

Every storm within 50 miles of Spanish Town, Saint Catherine, Jamaica

Similar landfalls in Quintana Roo

Storms whose strongest landfall record in Quintana Roo came closest to Gilbert's 160 mph:

All 31 storms with a landfall record in Quintana Roo

Also peaked at 185 mph

Of 3 storms from other Atlantic seasons, the nearest in time: