Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike became the fifth named hurricane of the 2008 season on September 3.
On September 11—two days after the storm ravaged Cuba—residents along Texas' Galveston Bay were told to evacuate, or "face certain death," as the entire coastline was expected to be inundated.1 Authorities called for a mandatory evacuation of Brazoria County and the Galveston area, including parts of Houston.
Ike made landfall in the early morning hours of Saturday, September 13, just short of a Category 3 hurricane strength. Ike weakened to a Category 1 storm by 9:00 a.m. EST as it moved inland.2 By 1:00 p.m. CDT, Ike downgraded to a Tropical Storm.3
Fast Facts
- A Category 1 Hurricane (as of September 13, 2008)2
- Maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour4
- Estimated central pressure is 962 millibars4
- Moving north as 18 miles per hour4
- Hurricane force winds extent outward up to 125 miles4
- Tropical force winds extend outward up to 260 miles4
- Another hurricane, Hurricane Hanna, reached the East Coast on September 6 as a Category 1 storm5
Ike in Cuba
Hurricane Ike became a hurricane on September 3, 2008. Strengthening quickly, Ike fluctuated between a Category 4 hurricane and a Category 3 hurricane several times. The hurricane made landfall in Cuba twice between September 7 and 9, flattening hundreds of homes, causing at least four deaths and prompting over a million residents of the island nation to evacuate.6
Background
Tropical Storm Ike was first spotted by forecasters on September 1, 2008, as Hurricane Gustav prepared to batter the Gulf Coast. Forecasters predicted that Ike would reach hurricane strength within as little as 36 hours, and it did. Ike was also predicted to follow a similar path as Hurricane Hanna. Ike was the 9th tropical storm of the 2008 hurricane season, which will peak some time around September 10. At least 136 people died in Haiti when Hurricane Hanna reached the island earlier the same week.5
Related Pages on Mahalo
Hurricane Ike Projected Path | Tropical Storm Ike | Storm Surge | Hurricane Hanna | Hurricane Gustav | Hurricane Hanna Projected Path | Brazoria County Evacuations | Hurricane Ike Storm Surge | Mark Sudduth | Galveston Hurricane | Great Storm of 1900 | Bolivar Peninsula | Hurricane Ike Pictures | Hurricane Ike Damage | Hurricane Ike Gas Prices | Alief ISD School Closure | Hurricane Paloma
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