Major Gulf Hurricanes

Category 5 Hurricane Katrina on 8-29-05  (Source: NOAA)

Some of the Atlantic Ocean Basin’s strongest hurricanes such as Michael reached their peak intensity in the Gulf of Mexico.  The Atlantic Ocean Basin includes the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.  Warm ocean water, often at least 80° Fahrenheit to a depth of at least 200 feet, is required for a tropical storm or hurricane to intensify under ideal atmospheric conditions. Some of the warmest water anywhere in the Atlantic Basin can be found in the Gulf of Mexico.

Smaller areas of water that features higher sea surface temperatures can sometimes influence hurricane intensity.  The Gulf of Mexico’s Loop Current is a smaller area of warmer ocean water than can influence tropical systems.  There is also something known as a “warm core ring,” which is simply an eddy or localized current of water that breaks off from the main ocean current (like the Gulf Stream or Loop Current) and can linger over an area of a few to a few hundred kilometers.  These warmer waters can provide additional fuel for an intensifying hurricane

2005: Both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita grew into two of the strongest hurricanes on record while over the Gulf of Mexico.  At peak intensity, Katrina had sustained winds of 175 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 902 millibars (mb).  Standard sea level air pressure is approximately 1013 mb and the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm is.  A few weeks later, Hurricane Rita became even stronger with sustained winds of 180 mph and minimum air pressure of 895 mb.  Fortunately, both weakened below Category 5 status but still made landfall as major hurricanes.  Rita remains the strongest hurricane on record in the Gulf of Mexico. 

  

2004: Hurricane Charley underwent a period of rapid intensification in the southeast Gulf of Mexico.  Its air pressure dropped 18 millibars and its sustained winds increased 35 mph in just a three-hour period.  This powerful Category 4 hurricane made landfall near Punta Gorda, Florida with sustained winds of 150 mph.  It was the strongest hurricane to make landfall anywhere in the U.S. since Andrew in 1992 and the strongest hurricane in southwest Florida since Donna in 1960.

1995: Hurricane Opal underwent a period of rapid intensification while over a warm core ring in the Gulf of Mexico.  In less than 24 hours, Opal went from being a minimal hurricane to a strong Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 916 millibars.  Although Opal weakened to Category 3 storm before its landfall in the Florida panhandle, it was nevertheless destructive and deadly.

Hurricane Opal was actually very similar to this month’s Hurricane Michael in that both occurred in October and reached virtually identical peak intensities.  Michael, however, intensified up until it made landfall with sustained winds of 155 mph and a minimum air pressure of 919 mb.