All storm pages · 1998 Atlantic season
Hurricane Mitch 1998
Category 5 hurricane · Atlantic · October 22 to November 5, 1998
Mitch's peak sustained wind of 180 mph is tied for the seventh-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 905 mb, tied for the tenth-lowest among the 1,277 Atlantic storms with a recorded pressure. Its 80 mph landfall in Honduras on October 29, 1998 ranks tied for the third-strongest of the 11 storms with a landfall record there. The name Mitch is on the National Hurricane Center's list of retired Atlantic hurricane names.
Strength over time
- First record (tropical depression) 90 miles north-northwest of Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
- Tropical storm 180 miles west-northwest of Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
- Hurricane 275 miles east-northeast of San Andrés, Colombia
- Major hurricane 185 miles south-southwest of Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica
- Peak 200 miles north of Bilwi, Atlántico Norte, Nicaragua
- Landfall Honduras
- Landfall Campeche: tropical storm, 40 mph, 998 mb
- Landfall Florida: tropical storm, 65 mph, 989 mb
- No longer tropical (extratropical low) 70 miles north-northeast of Freeport, the Bahamas
- Last record far out at sea, at 63.5°N, 5.0°W
Against every Atlantic storm since 1851
More from the record
It has landfall records in 3 different places: Honduras, Campeche and Florida.
In the 1998 season
Storm 13 of 14 in 1998, hurricane 9 of 10; it formed after Lisa and before Nicole. Mitch produced 20% of the season's accumulated cyclone energy. 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.
| Place | Closest | Wind then | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jalapa, Guatemala | 2 mi | 35 mph | October 31 |
| Sololá, Guatemala | 2 mi | 30 mph | November 1 |
| Guatemala City, Guatemala, Guatemala | 3 mi | 30 mph | November 1 |
| Chimaltenango, Guatemala | 3 mi | 30 mph | November 1 |
| Comayagua, Honduras | 4 mi | 45 mph | October 31 |
| Totonicapán, Guatemala | 4 mi | 30 mph | November 1 |
| Motul, Yucatán, Mexico | 4 mi | 40 mph | November 4 |
| Quetzaltenango, Quezaltenango, Guatemala | 5 mi | 30 mph | November 1 |
Every storm within 50 miles of Guatemala City, Guatemala, Guatemala
Similar landfalls in Honduras
Storms whose strongest landfall record in Honduras came closest to Mitch's 80 mph:
- Abby (1960)80 mph, July 15, 1960
- Anna (1961)85 mph, July 24, 1961
- Paula (2010)50 mph, October 11, 2010
- Sara (2024)45 mph, November 15, 2024
Also peaked at 180 mph
Of 3 storms from other Atlantic seasons, the nearest in time:
- Rita (2005)895 mb, landfall in Louisiana
- Irma (2017)914 mb, landfall in Antigua and Barbuda
- Milton (2024)895 mb, landfall in Florida