1998 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1998 Atlantic hurricane season was the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane season. It began on June 1, 1998, and it ended on November 30, 1998. However, one storm lasted until after the end of the season. This season had 14 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes. Storms during the season caused more than 12,000 deaths. Most of these were caused by Hurricane Mitch.
Storms
Tropical Storm Alex
On July 27, the first tropical depression started. By July 29, it became Tropical Storm Alex. Alex moved toward land but died on affect anywhere. Wind shear caused Alex to die on August 2.
Hurricane Bonnie
Hurricane Bonnie started on August 19, as a tropical depression. It had become a tropical storm by the next day. Bonnie became a hurricane after passing to the north of Puerto Rico. By August 27 it had slammed into Wilmington, North Carolina, as a category 3 hurricane. Hurricane Bonnie went back out into the Atlantic and died on August 30. Bonnie killed about 5 people and caused $1 billion in damage.
Hurricane Charley
Tropical Storm Charley started in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico on August 21. It became a strong tropical storm before it made landfall near Corpus Christi in Texas. Charley had died by August 24 over western Texas. It killed between 20-26 people and caused $50 million in damage.
Hurricane Danielle
Hurricane Danielle started on August 24 as a tropical depression. By August 25 it was already a hurricane. It tracked across most of the Atlantic, switching between a category 1 and 2 hurricane for most of the time. Danielle headed for the United States, but missed as it turned north. The hurricane moved to the northeast and slowly weakened. On September 3, Danielle died. The remains continued until they were a few hundred miles north of Iceland on September 8.
Hurricane Earl
Earl started in the southern Gulf of Mexico. It soon became a tropical storm and it became a hurricane about a day later. Hurricane Earl peak as a category 2 hurricane, but it weakened back to a category 1 as it made landfall in Panama City, Florida on September 3. It soon died after it crossed into Georgia. Earl killed 3 people and caused around $79 million in damage.
Tropical Storm Frances
Frances formed in the Gulf of Mexico on September 8. It soon became a tropical storm before it made landfall in Texas on September 11. Tropical Storm Frances last for two more days over land. The storm killed 2 people and caused $500 million in damage.
Hurricane Georges
Hurricane Georges was a very strong category 4 hurricane. Over its path it nearly became a category 5 hurricane on September 20. Notably, the storm made landfall in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Cuba. Georges made landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi on September 28. Hurricane Georges died on October 1 just before entering the Atlantic near the Florida and Georgia border. It also caused over 350,000 people to become homeless in Cuba, Haiti, and Dominican Republic. The hurricane caused almost $6 billion in damage and it killed 604 people.
Tropical Storm Hermine
Hermine was a weak tropical storm that started on September 17 in the Gulf of Mexico. On September 20 it made landfall in Louisiana. It died that same day and it killed 2 people and caused only $85,000 in damage.
Hurricane Ivan
Ivan started on September 19 near Cape Verde Islands. It strengthened into a tropical storm soon after and head to the north. On September 23 it became a hurricane, and it soon slowly turned east. It passed just north of the Azores as a hurricane on September 26. Hurricane Ivan died on September 27.
Hurricane Jeanne
Jeanne started on September 21 near the coast of Africa. It became a tropical storm later that day and a hurricane soon after. Hurricane Jeanne began to turn to the east on September 25. On October 1 it crossed through the Azores before it died later that day. The remains of Jeanne reached Portugal on October 4.
Hurricane Karl
Hurricane Karl was, at first, Tropical Depression Eleven which formed on September 23. It later became Tropical Storm Karl and then Hurricane Karl. Hurricane Karl was one of four hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean on September 26. Karl died on September 28 near Ireland.
Hurricane Lisa
On October 5 Tropical Depression One formed, shortly after it became Tropical Storm Lisa. On October 9 Tropical Storm Lisa strengthened and became Hurricane Lisa. Hurricane Lisa became extratropical and dead out over the Atlantic that same day. At one point in time Hurricane Lisa moving speed was greater than 58 mph.
Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch was a very powerful storm. Mitch was a category 5 but it made landfall as a category 1. However Mitch still devastated Central America, causing at least 9,000 deaths and at least $5 billion in damage.
Hurricane Nicole
Nicole formed late in the season in the eastern Atlantic. It was named on November 24, the storm moved west-southwest for several days, and wind shear caused it to weaken to a tropical depression on November 26. However, it strengthened again and was again called a tropical storm on November 27.
Nicole was heading northeast toward the Azores as a weak hurricane. The storm then turned back to the north and was weakened to an extratropical storm on December 1. Hurricane Nicole never affected land and no damage was reported.
Storm names
Below is a full list of names that was being used in 1998. There were four storm names used for the first time they were named: Alex, Lisa, Mitch, and Nicole for the first time in 1998. Alex was used for the first time because it was a replacement for the name Andrew. Names not used are marked in .
Retirement
After the season there were two names that were retired: Georges and Mitch. Since they were retired, they will never be used for an Atlantic storm again. In 2004 the names: Gaston and Matthew, were used instead.