Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike formed as a tropical disturbance off the coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. As of September 1, 2008 it had formed into Tropical Storm Ike about 300 miles off the west coast of Africa west of the Cape Verde Islands. In the morning hours of September 4th, Ike began to intensify and strengthened to Category 4 hurricane status with 145 miles per hour winds.
Path of Hurricane Ike:
On September 7th, Ike passed over the Turks and Caicos Islands with wind speeds of 135 miles per hour. The first land that Ike came into contact with was Cuba later that day. The hurricane had slightly decreased in intensity, but was a strong Category 3 when it hit Cuba. By September 9th, Ike made landfall in Pinar del Río as it continued its path toward the Texas Coast.
After spending several days threatening the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane, Hurricane Ike finally came to land on September 13, 2008. Ike made its US landfall east of Galveston, Texas as a Category 2 hurricane. When Ike hit Galveston, it had winds of 110 miles per hour and a central pressure of 950 mbar. From Galveston, Ike passed over San Leon, Texas and made landfall again in Baytown, Texas. In its path through Texas, Ike caused severe hurricane related damages to Galveston, Gilchrist, and Houston.
From Baytown, Ike turned north and then northeast, passing to the east of Dallas, Texas and west of Little Rock, Arkansas. Ike’s wind speeds and intensity decreased, and it moved toward Missouri as a Tropical Depression, and brought heavy rains throughout the Midwest. Ike finally dissipated over Labrador Sea early on September 16th.
Hurricane Ike Facts:
Hurricane Ike:
- was the ninth named storm and the third major hurricane of the 2008 hurricane season
- started as a Tropical Depression Nine before being upgraded to Tropical Storm Ike
- had a lifespan of 13 days
- winds had peak intensity of 145 miles per hour
- had maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour when it hit Texas
- caused flood waters to exceed twelve feet above sea level on Texas’ Bolivar Peninsula
- caused approximately $34 billion in damages in the U.S.
