"It's the biggest (ocean) basin," said Davis. "A tropical cyclone can last a long time in that basin." In the Atlantic, the largest hurricane on record was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. "Gilbert literally filled the Gulf of Mexico," said World Meteorological Organization weather researcher Randy Cerveny, who works at Arizona State University. "There was a massive loss of life in Mexico." Gilbert lasted from Sept. 8 to Sept. 19, killed 341 people (225 in Mexico), and caused about $10 billion in damages (adjusted value to 2008). As with Ike, it was Gilbert's gargantuan storm surge that posed the biggest danger to thousands of miles of coast. At the time of this account, the National Weather Service was reporting that Ike had tropical storm-force winds swirling 275 miles out from its center, which is much further than in the infamous and catastrophic Hurricane Katrina. Related Links: Larry O'Hanlon's blog: Earth Impacts |
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