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Hurricane Hugo was a large and powerful hurricane that devastated portions of the Caribbean and South Carolina in September, 1989. A tropical wave moved off the west coast of Africa, on September 9th. Moving westward, it reached tropical storm strength on September 11th, and hurricane strength on the 13th. Hugo rapidly intensified and briefly reached Category Five intensity, with sustained winds of 160 mph, while well out in the Atlantic. A NOAA reconnaissance flight into Hugo, at this time, was severely damaged, necessitating an emergency evacuation from the storm. Turning to the west-northwest, Hugo entered the Caribbean as a Category Four hurricane, passing directly over Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, and the eastern tip of Puerto Rico, winds in these locations were estimated to have been near 150 mph. Hugo weakened as it interacted with Puerto Rico, but quickly re-strengthened over the Atlantic. Continuing towards the northwest, Hugo made a final landfall near Charleston, South Carolina on the evening of September 21st, as a Category Four, with sustained winds of 135 mph. Accelerating, Hugo moved rapidly north-northwest spreading hurricane conditions far inland. Hugo finally weakened to tropical storm near Charlotte, North Carolina. The storm continued north as an extra-tropical low, tracking over the Eastern Great Lakes and parts of Eastern Canada. Hugo was responsible for $10 Billion (1989 USD) in damage and, at the time, was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history. Though sources differ on the number of fatalities, Hugo is estimated to have killed between 70-100 people.

Posted by adrian2323 on November 16, 2009 at 7:05 AM

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