Hurricane Gilbert Essay Example For Students

Hurricane Gilbert Essay During the year of 1988, several events changed the lives of hundreds of people. The summer Olympics, a presidential election, and Hurricane Gilbert Essay which tore through Jamaica, part of Mexico and the United States. Hurricane Gilbert occurred between September 10th and the 17th. Hurricane Gilbert was one of the most wretched storms of the century. What had started out as a tropical storm, grew into a terrible nightmare for those that lived in Jamaica. The onset of the storm was first seen by satellite on September 3rd 1988. This was categorized as a tropical storm; a wrinkle in the uniformly eastern flow (Sheets 1). Gilbert was not only infamous for its category rating, but for the barometric pressure which was the lowest recorded for an Atlantic storm. Causes that contributed to the strength of Hurricane Gilbert include: atmospheric conditions, the category rating, and the proximity of its eye. The effects of the hurricane consisted of property damage, economic losses, casualties and some solutions such as insurance and funds. Atmospheric conditions were some of the factors that contributed to Hurricane Gilberts intensity. Hurricane Gilbert had extremely powerful winds that reached 160 knots which is about 175 mph and gusts up to 121 mph (Stengel 18). At 10, 000 feet, Gilberts counterclockwise winds reached up to 200 miles per hour, and at ground level the winds were around 175 mph (Stengel 17). With winds that strong, almost nothing could stop that storm. When the winds began to spread out over a large area, they stirred the Atlantic waters and brought cool water underneath the earths surface; therefore, causing a reduction in the amount of rapid showers and thunderstorms (Sheets 1). Water was another contributing factor in the destruction caused by Hurricane Gilbert. Hurricane Gilbert formed in the same manner as most tropical storms do. A reason for Gilberts strength was the warm air placed itself in contact with the water, the air became wet and was then moistened by evaporation (Sheets 2). Hurricane conditions can only happen during warm months and over warm waters. Storm surges only occur when the storm meets the land. Gilberts system of low pressure and high winds created a dome of high and intense water that was forced ashore. The water flow then caused storm surges which flooded many low lying areas, such as, beaches and coastlines. The waves of the waters reached as high as 30 feet. Floods were another cause of destruction. Torrential rains created sudden flooding as Hurricane Gilbert moved inland. As Gilberts winds diminished, rainfall floods became Jamaicas greatest threat. (Sheets 2). Air mass was a third cause of destruction. During the summer of 1988, both Jamaica and the United States were hot and humid. A drought in the Midwestern United States caused forest fires and harvesters had a hard season with the crops (Stengel 17). Since the air was relatively warm around the Caribbean and the Northeastern part of South America, the humidity was significantly higher, and the sea temperature was somewhat warm consequently causing the formation of Hurricane Gilbert. Hurricane Gilberts barometric pressure reading was a very important factor in its destructive force. A barometric pressure reading is the measure of the storms strength. Hurricane Gilbert received the lowest sea level pressure reading for a storm in the Western Hemisphere. Gilberts pressure reading was recorded at 888 MB. or 26.23 inches. Since Gilbert had a low pressure reading, it was more likely to cause extreme damage. Hurricane Gilbert received a rating or category of five on the Saffir/Simpson scale, which reads a storms strength (Sheets 3). Category five is the highest level that a hurricane can be rated at. This denotes that Gilbert was proficient enough to cause catastrophic damage (Hurricane Gilbert 689). .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96 , .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96 .postImageUrl , .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96 , .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96:hover , .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96:visited , .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96:active { border:0!important; } .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96:active , .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96 .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ucea2a31d8a848e88f535efc10a39fb96:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Reconstruction Essay Another hurricane to reach level five was Camille, a hurricane that occurred in 1969 (Trippet 18). When a hurricane such as Gilbert, that is rated a Category five, wind and water damage are extremely dynamic. Windows can be blown out, trees up rooted and mall buildings can be destroyed during a hurricane (Hurricane Info 3). Hurricanes that are large in size, will usually have smaller eyes, like Hurricane Gilbert. Hurricane Gilbert had an eye less than 10 miles in diameter, but the hurricane covered the entire western half of the Caribbean as well as southeastern parts of the Gulf of Mexico (Sheets 3). The vortex of Gilbert was 450 miles in width (Stengel 17). Even though the eye of Hurricane Gilbert looked almost invisible, it still was readily visible. As the eye of Gilbert turned and moved in .