Timeline of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season | |
---|---|
Season boundaries | |
First system formed | May 31, 2008 |
Last system dissipated | November 10, 2008 |
Strongest system | |
By maximum sustained winds | Gustav |
Maximum winds | 155 mph (250 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
Lowest pressure | 941 mbar (hPa; 27.79 inHg) |
By central pressure | Ike |
Maximum winds | 145 mph (230 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
Lowest pressure | 935 mbar (hPa; 27.61 inHg) |
Longest lasting system | |
Name | Bertha |
Duration | 17 days |
The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season was an event in the annual tropical cyclone season in the north Atlantic Ocean. An above-average Atlantic hurricane season,[nb 1] it was the first on record to have a major hurricane in every month from July to November.[2]
The season officially began on June 1, 2008, and ended on November 30, 2008, dates that conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones develop in the Atlantic basin.[3] The season's first storm, Tropical Storm Arthur, formed on May 30, and the last, Hurricane Paloma, dissipated on November 10. Pre-season forecasts noted a high possibility for an above average number of tropical cyclones, primarily due to lingering La Niña effects and abnormally warm sea surface temperatures across the Atlantic basin.[2] Altogether, 16 of the 17 tropical cyclones observed during the season developed into tropical storms. Of these, eight became hurricanes with five intensifying further into major hurricanes.[nb 2] With the exception of Tropical Storm Nana, every tropical cyclone during the season affected land to an extent.
This timeline includes information that was not operationally released, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center, such as a storm that was not operationally warned upon, has been included. This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, and dissipations during the season.
By convention, meteorologists use one time zone when issuing forecasts and making observations: Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and also use the 24-hour clock (where 00:00 = midnight UTC).[5] The National Hurricane Center uses both UTC and the time zone where the center of the tropical cyclone is currently located. The time zones utilized (east to west) prior to 2020 were: Atlantic, Eastern, and Central.[6] In this timeline, all information is listed by UTC first with the respective regional time included in parentheses. Additionally, figures for maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (knots, miles, or kilometers), following the convention used in the National Hurricane Center's products. Direct wind observations are rounded to the nearest whole number. Atmospheric pressures are listed to the nearest millibar and nearest hundredth of an inch of mercury.
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