Talk:2008 Atlantic hurricane season

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Tropical Cyclone Reports[edit]

01L.Arthur - released July 28, 2008
02L.Bertha - released October 20, 2008, updated October 9, 2009
03L.Cristobal - released October 1, 2008, updated December 15, 2008
04L.Dolly - released January 22, 2009
05L.Edouard - released November 14, 2008
06L.Fay - released February 9, 2009
07L.Gustav - released January 26, 2009, updated September 15, 2009
08L.Hanna - released December 17, 2008, updated March 29, 2009
09L.Ike - released January 23, 2009, updated February 4, 2009, re-updated March 18, 2009, re-updated May 04, 2010
10L.Josephine - released December 5, 2008
11L.Kyle - released December 5, 2008
12L.Laura - released February 4, 2009
13L.Marco - released November 14, 2008
14L.Nana - released December 3, 2008
15L.Omar - released February 4, 2009
16L.Sixteen - released November 19, 2008
17L.Paloma - released January 26, 2009, updated February 4, 2009, re-updated April 14, 2009

Cristobal[edit]

Just released today. Pressure dropped a bit but the peak intensity was unchanged. CrazyC83 (talk) 19:01, 3 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

  • Minor revisions made this week that I just noticed. The ACE has been updated. CrazyC83 (talk) 01:17, 19 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Bertha[edit]

Peak intensity increased to 125mph, pressure raised to 952mb. Cyclonebiskit (talk) 15:01, 20 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

No real surprise, there were hints it may have been as strong as 135 mph but that is not to be. Updated the ACE calcs. CrazyC83 (talk) 15:17, 20 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I don't understand how this storm killed 3 people. Schnerg (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 22:03, 26 July 2009 (UTC).[reply]

Edouard[edit]

One death confirmed. Cyclonebiskit (talk) 19:51, 14 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Updated the article for such, plus more details on the damage. CrazyC83 (talk) 19:59, 14 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Marco[edit]

Nothing new, smallest tropical storm in Atlantic confirmed. Cyclonebiskit (talk) 19:51, 14 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Sixteen[edit]

Intensity lowered to 30mph and pressure increased to 1004mb. Death toll: 11 direct, 7 indirect, 6 missing. Maximum rainfall 21.52 inches in Balday beacon, Belize. Cyclonebiskit (talk) 19:20, 19 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Nana[edit]

Pressure lowered to 1004mbar. Cyclonebiskit (talk) 18:54, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Kyle[edit]

Winds increased to 85mph. Death toll in Puerto Rico increased to six. Cyclonebiskit (talk) 22:55, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Article updated to show such. CrazyC83 (talk) 01:18, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Josephine[edit]

Nothing new. Cyclonebiskit (talk) 22:55, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hanna[edit]

Real damage figure and intensity bumped to 85 mph. The death toll on the TCR remains a guess due to isolating from other storms. CrazyC83 (talk) 16:08, 17 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

At least 500 fatalities. Total in Haiti is 793 with hundreds missing. Cyclonebiskit (talk) 16:12, 17 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Was all of Hanna's 160 million in damage from just Haiti, just the US, or both? It doesn't give a specific cost for each. Where did this come from? 76.235.160.175 (talk) 21:21, 18 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
160 million in the US only, no damage total from Haiti but the damages from all four storms that hit totaled to ~$1 billion (don't include this in an article). Cyclonebiskit (talk) 21:27, 18 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
That is correct, isolating damage numbers in the articles is proving difficult (Ike and Gustav combined in Cuba did $9.4B but no single-storm numbers are given). CrazyC83 (talk) 01:20, 19 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
There actually are single storm numbers by Cuba's damage from 2008. Ike and Gustav both did 4 billion in damage to Cuba and Paloma did 1.4 billion. Is there ever going to be a Haiti report from Hanna, though? there can't not be one; the NHC has to get all of the reports done by April (I think), but since the TCR has been released, and Hanna's Haiti damage is still unknown, will there ever be a report on this? 76.235.207.61 (talk) 02:25, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
There are ongoing OCHA reports for the impacts in Haiti. I'll check though them later to see if any have a damage total. Cyclonebiskit 02:38, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Due to the low property values in Haiti (which is a really impoverished country), I don't think the costs will be very high there. CrazyC83 (talk) 02:57, 20 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Dolly[edit]

It is now out. Downgraded to Cat 1 at landfall but kept at Cat 2 at peak intensity. Damage in the US $1.05 billion, only 1 direct death (the rest were not mentioned and are now indirect). CrazyC83 (talk) 19:43, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ike[edit]

$18 billion in damage in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Further damage inland. [1]Juliancolton Tropical Cyclone 16:21, 23 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There was also a change in the best track, Julian. Ike weakened to a cat. 3 as it hit the Bahamas, but restrengthened into a cat. 4 at it's Cuba landfall. I have a possible record about this. Since Ike hit Cuba as a cat. 4, and Gustav hit Cuba as a cat. 4 as well, would it mark the first time 2 hurricanes of at least category 4 strength have hit Cuba in the same season? I know no other such year with this record. 76.235.170.181 (talk) 04:13, 24 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Yep. –Juliancolton Tropical Cyclone 23:48, 26 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Another record (minor record at that), fifth fastest 6 hour intensification (tied with four other storms) with a 30 knot increase in 6 hours from 18 UTC on Sep. 3 to 00 UTC on Sep. 4. Overall 24 rapid intensification was a 70 knot increase (if that ranks somewhere as a record, it wasn't stated in the TCR). Cyclonebiskit 23:09, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

By intensification standards, I only think storms like Wilma or Felix should be mentioned, but if there is a good source for Ike, sure. The 2 cat 4's in Cuba is confirmed though (Ike and Gustav) check the best track if you have any doubts on that. 76.235.170.181 (talk) 01:49, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The record I put was from the Tropical Cyclone Report. Cyclonebiskit 01:55, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, if you think it should be there, then you can put it in. I watched Ike on TV at the time. By 5 P.M. EDT, Ike became a category 1 storm. 3 hours later, it became a category 3. 3 hours after that, Ike was a cat. 4, and finally, on the next advisory, Ike reached it's peak. The record about Gustav and Ike both hitting Cuba at cat. 4 strength should probrably be mentioned, too. 76.235.170.181 (talk) 11:41, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'll search through the best tracks and see what I can find about Cat:4's and Cuba. Cyclonebiskit 15:27, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Yep, no other season has had two Category 4's making landfall in Cuba at that intensity. Cyclonebiskit 15:33, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

TCR Updated on February 4. Damage increased to $24B in the US ($28.2B once Cuba, the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos are added, and still higher due to damage in Hispaniola, Jamaica and Canada not accounted for). Missing total reduced to 34, and the best track in Cuba was adjusted. CrazyC83 (talk) 05:16, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Gustav and Paloma[edit]

Both are out with updated damage and fatality figures. Paloma weakened to Cat 2 before landfall in Cuba, Gustav was 105 mph at Louisiana landfall. CrazyC83 (talk) 17:41, 26 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

184 knot wind gust for Gustav is confirmed, world record for a tropical cyclone. Cyclonebiskit 17:52, 26 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Yep, although not representative of its true intensity (if it was used for a basis, Gustav would have likely been upgraded to Cat 5 as it was on the west side of the storm). CrazyC83 (talk) 20:22, 26 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
And double landfall in Jamaica. HurricaneSpin (talk) 23:43, 26 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Also, Paloma was a 100 mph storm at it's Cuba landfall, so this season isn't the first one with three major hurricanes to hit Cuba, but Ike was upgraded to a cat. 4 at it's landfall there, so it is the first with 2 cat 4's hitting Cuba rather than 3 cat 3's hitting. 76.235.170.181 (talk) 22:32, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Paloma TCR Updated on February 4. Minor changes to the best track, included a corrected landfall location. CrazyC83 (talk) 05:33, 8 February 2009 (UTC) Gustav TCR Updated late, on September 15 but just discovered tonight. Upgraded to 155 mph, the 212 mph peak gust validated and the sustained wind determined to be representative of the intensity. Other data was also added. CrazyC83 (talk) 03:15, 26 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Laura and Omar[edit]

Both are now out. Omar confirmed as 135 mph (category 4). No real surprises with Laura. CrazyC83 (talk) 21:36, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Fay[edit]

Winds upped to 70mph damages totaled to $560 million. Cyclonebiskit 15:57, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is that all of the TCR's? I believe it is, but there still isn't a Haiti report from Hanna or Gustav. 76.235.187.223 (talk) 22:10, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
That's all of them. There are no sub-reports issued by the NHC but other sources may still be working on recording the events that happened. Cyclonebiskit 01:45, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I guess a sesonal track map will be released soon. HurricaneSpin (talk) 02:44, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Barring a reclassification of some other storm (best candidate would be the Carolinas storm in late September, but it will be likely left as a frontal hybrid low), that is it. Some of them will be updated from time to time though. CrazyC83 (talk) 06:34, 14 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

So, I guess, unless any reanalysis comes in, that's it for this season, and we have to prepare for the upcoming one. 76.235.175.27 (talk) 03:05, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Dont Forget that we have country reports, coming in at the minute for the Hurricane Committee meeting, which takes place soon.Jason Rees (talk) 14:46, 20 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I see that the meeting is April 20.

RA IV Hurricane Committee, Thirty-first session

  • Start date: 20-Apr-09
  • End date: 24-Apr-09 morning
  • Meeting place: Nassau, Bahamas

Weatherlover819 (talk) 08:42, 9 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, we can't assume it will be then; last year's meetings weren't until May 13. I'm not sure why it was that late, but either way, this meeting will be coming soon. 76.235.186.200 (talk) 16:06, 10 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No - the Hurricane Committee meeting does start on the 20 April - Also last years meeting was from the 23 - 28 April 2008 and im not quite sure where you got May 13 from Jason Rees (talk) 16:53, 10 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What I meant was Dean, Felix, and Noel weren't actually retired until then - it said they were retired by May 13 in each of the 3 articles. So, although the meetings were in April, the names weren't actually retired until May. If you don't agree, look in the 3 storm articles yourself. 76.253.126.162 (talk) 00:44, 11 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Retired names[edit]

Well, the WMO conferences start today, so I think it is time we should talk about retired names. While I don't think any nation has requested any names yet, they should come in very soon. If I would guess, Gustav and Ike are obvious retirement candidates, and Dolly and Hanna are likely retirement candidates. Fay and Paloma are possible; I initially thought Paloma was a likely retirement candidate until the latest damage totals came out, which are just below $1 billion. Also, knowing France, we could perhaps see Omar retired if they request it, despite the fact that it wasn't severely damaging. ANDROS1337 18:44, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Yeah I agree and also about France in the 1990 Atlantic hurricane season they retired Klaus which only caused about $1 million in damage. --12george1 (talk) 21:08, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Although the WMO meetings are today, we shouldn't be assuming which names will or won't be retired still. We should wait until the names actually are retired. Paloma still has a good shot though, because the Carribean is more likely to submit a storm like Paloma than we are (Dolly, i'm talking to you), and I'm not sure over Omar or Fay. We shouldn't really be assuming anything more here; at the top of this page, just below the orange box, it says Please put all unrelated discussion on the Hurricane Wikia. Click on the Hurricane Wikia to put speculations on that page; I would do it on the bottom, under Names requested for retirement. End of discussion here. 76.235.202.58 (talk) 21:35, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

And Gustav, Ike & Paloma are gone. Guess who isn't though? HANNA! Definitely one of the biggest surprises in my opinion; 530 dead and no retirement? That seems a little inconsistent, even considering its Haiti. FYI, the new names are Gonzalo, Isaias and Paulette. Gonzalo is probably the most decent, and I can accept Isaias as they are really running out of I names, but Paulette? We have/had Paul & Pauline in the Pacific, we didn't need another variation of Paul... and there are certainly many more elegible female P names out there, as Paloma is the only "P" retiree. 96.30.150.26 (talk) 05:13, 23 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not that surprised that Hanna wasn't retired. I am not surprised because in 1994, Hurricane Gordon killed more 1,000 people and it wasn't retired. --12george1 (talk) 17:00, 23 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, Haiti often has odd retirement patterns. –Juliancolton | Talk 17:05, 23 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • I cannot think of many more I names, male or female! They could retire "I" names entirely at the rate...

I'm a little upset about why they didn't retire Hanna, but what's this about Dolly? Paloma caused only 909 million in damage and one death and was retired. Dolly did 1.35 billion in damage, killed twenty-two people and it wasn't?! If the WMO didn't retire Dolly, then there is NO WAY they would have kicked Paloma off. And then again, with Haiti, Gordon and Hanna weren't, but Noel of 2007, which caused much less in damage/deaths, was. If the WMO didn't retire Gordon for 1,100 deaths, they would have no excuse for retiring Noel for 169. Noel didn't even do 1/7 as many deaths as Gordon, and not even 1/3 as much as Hanna, and was retired. I'm not sure why the WMO is so picky over retiring names now. 76.235.197.175 (talk) 22:16, 23 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Do they ever run out of I names? What if they do? So many names are being retired (Isodore, Isabel, Ivan being 3 year in a row!) for this letter I and not much names for I. HurricaneSpin Talk My contributions 01:11, 24 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Isodore, Isabel, Ivan... okay, so we can have: India, Irene, Ivana, Ivanka, Irina, Idi, Idan, Iman, Igor, Igon, Igal, Ilan, Isabella, Iris, Inkara, Isolde, Ira, Irving, Inga, Irwin... and that's just a few off the top of my head. (note that some of these may have been used, but I was just throwing out random I names) --Golbez (talk) 04:57, 24 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Remember, they've left open the door to reuse names after 10 years pass...even though it's only been enacted once or twice back in the 1960s. However, this chat should really end since it isn't applicable to the 2008 season article. Thegreatdr (talk) 08:09, 24 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Made a mistake, it is Isidore, Irene is used, Igor is Ivan's replacement, Isabella is unlikely due to Isabel, Inga is used, India is unlikely due to the country, Ivana and Ivanka is unlikely due to Ivan, and Iris is used... most of them are names I ever heard of. HurricaneSpin Talk My contributions 01:58, 25 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Idris is another doktorb wordsdeeds 09:48, 25 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]
this chat should really end since it isn't applicable to the 2008 season article. ----Irdicent 23 14:23, 26 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Season summary[edit]

I'm not sure if it's already being worked on, but in the 2007, 2006, and 2005 seasons there was a different way the articles was made. It had 6 or more paragraphs about the timeline of storms, and at the end an impact section and records section was made of the season. Are we going to do the same thing with this year? In other words, are we going to put the format of this season like 2007, 2006, and 2005, with the timeline, areas impacted, records, ect? 76.235.172.134 (talk) 15:54, 9 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I feel the article looks better the way it is now, you have all the storm information, as well as a season summary up top, what more could you ask for ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Knowledgekid87 (talkcontribs) 04:22, 17 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]
The new format will likely be implemented on this article within the next few months, when somebody starts working on it. –Juliancolton | Talk 04:36, 17 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I wonder why we're creating this redundancy. Only because of back in 2005 the article was too long? --Matthiasb (talk) 14:07, 19 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I also wonder wats wrong with sending this type of Atlantic season to FAC also if 2005 AHS was too long with 30 depressions etc then wats 2008 PTS gonna look like when its done? Jason Rees (talk) 16:37, 19 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]
'06 and '07 have it like '05 as well, so why can't 2008 look like those years? It was much more notable than those years, excluding '05. 76.235.221.51 (talk) 22:05, 20 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Although one can argue that it might look more neat it is just retyping the information that is covered both on the storm articles and in the list of storms that is in the article now. Just my opinion but I think the summarys should be brief it does not have to be detailed because that info is already covered like I said in other places. Knowledgekid87 15:05, 21 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Four Storms[edit]

According to the postseason best track data, at 06Z on September 2, there were four tropical storms active. Gustav was a weakening tropical storm over central Louisiana, Hanna was a Category 1 hurricane over the Turks and Caicos, Ike was a strengthening tropical storm over the open Atlantic and Josephine was a newly-minted tropical storm in the eastern Atlantic. This marks the first time four named storms were active at once in the Atlantic since the four hurricanes of 1998, ten years. I think that's quite notable. -- Watch For Storm Surge!§eb 18:31, 16 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

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GA Review[edit]

This review is transcluded from Talk:2008 Atlantic hurricane season/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Hurricanehink (talk · contribs) 15:54, 6 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]


  • "Cuba also received extensive impacts from Gustav, Ike, and Paloma, all three of which made landfall in the country as major hurricanes" - bit of a nitpick, but Paloma weakened to C2 by the time it hit Cuba, although its outer eyewall did strike the country as a C3. Your call how to word
  • I'm gonna state that Gustav and Ike were major hurricanes, while Paloma was Cat 2--12george1 (talk) 23:06, 6 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]
  • "and but 10 percent odds of a below-average season" - wording could be better
  • Arthur's article mentions 4 more indirect deaths
  • "Steered on a west-northwest or northwest course, Bertha reached hurricane strength around 06:00 UTC on July 7 before undergoing a period of rapid intensification that brought it to its peak as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) later that day." - could you split, or reword to improve the sentence structure?
  • I feel like you could go into a smidge more detail for Bertha's MH, considering how long-lasting it was
  • I'd suggest mentioning where Dolly formed in its MH part
  • Make sure you mention Dolly's damage total
  • "In its early stages, mudslides generated by heavy rainfall from the storm caused 17 deaths in Guatemala, while another person drowned while attempting to cross a swollen river" - some problems here. The ref is broken, and the title suggests just 17 deaths. Could you get a new link, and maybe double check this?
  • I think I confused it as another death if the title does say 17 deaths. Anyway, I found an NCDC source that says 21 and I think it would be better to use that--12george1 (talk) 23:06, 6 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]
  • Edouard damage total?
  • I think you should mention Gustav's record wind gust, which is the strongest associated with a TC in the northern and western hemisphere
  • It is mentioned, but its importance is not. So I will do that now. I opted for second highest ever in a TC worldwide (behind only Cyclone Olivia)--12george1 (talk) 23:06, 6 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]
  • "A tropical wave entered the Atlantic on August 19, leading to the formation of a tropical depression around 00:00 UTC on August 28." - where did it form?
  • "In the Turks and Caicos Islands, about 95 percent of all houses on Grand Turk Island were damaged, 20 percent of which severely so. An equal number of homes were damaged in South Caicos, including over one-third that were significantly damaged or destroyed. " - you say "an equal number", but the first sentence refers to percentage, so I'd say "an equal proportion of homes" or something
  • "Throughout both archipelagos, damage climbed to between $50–200 million." - that's a big range. Is there any set damage total?
  • I'm having trouble finding a more specific total--12george1 (talk) 23:06, 6 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]
  • " It was absorbed by a larger extratropical low a little over a day later." - considering the event in question did happen a day later, I think you can cut "a little over"
  • Kyle rainfall total?
  • "In the Northeastern United States, people were killed by large waves in Rhode Island." - how many?
  • Could you add in Omar's MH section a bit about its track through the Lesser Antilles? Specifically, what islands it passed near
  • Omar actually wasn't that close to any islands, except maybe St. Croix. It passed cleanly through the Anegada Passage.--12george1 (talk) 23:06, 6 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]
  • In the season summary, you said "Hurricane Paloma, which became the third-strongest November hurricane in recorded history and caused about $900 million in damage to the Cayman Islands and Cuba", but the damage total doesn't add up to this in Paloma's section.

All in all the article is in pretty good shape. None of my issues should be too difficult to address. ♫ Hurricanehink (talk) 15:54, 6 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

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