Hurricane Naomi

**Hurricane Naomi** was the second strongest hurricane in the Atlantic basin in terms of pressure, only behind Hurricane Wilma of 2005, and tied with Hurricane Allen of 1980 for strongest storm in terms of wind speed. An extremely powerful Cape-Verde type hurricane, Hurricane Naomi caused severe structural damages across the Bahamas and Florida, with minor reported damages in Georgia, as Naomi passed through as a minimal Category 2 hurricane. Overall, damages were calculated to be around $98 billion dollars, making Naomi the 3rd costliest hurricane, only behind Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

## Meteorological history

    A tropical wave, which exited off the coast of Africa on August 16 was first highlighted by the National Hurricane Center for possible tropical development albeit there was no associated convection. The wave tracked east, entering into a layer of 34°C waters, which a broad area of circulation developed within the wave, as the wave began to pass over Cape Verde and enter a area with low vertical Saharan wind shear. A hurricane reconnaissance aircraft reported winds that prompted the NHC to upgrade the system to Tropical Depression Fourteen on August 18.

Immediately after the upgrade, Fourteen was upgraded to Tropical Storm Naomi due to circulation and a spiral banding motion. Naomi was tracked eastward, with sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h), and a minimal barometric pressure of 1003 millibars (hPa). However, strengthening was relatively rare, due to an increase of wind shear albeit the water temperatures were favorable for a prompted advisory upgrading Naomi to a 50 mph tropical storm. However, as Naomi progressed, wind shear eventually dropped, thus prompting a special update by the National Hurricane Center prompting an upgrade to 60 mph, and the barometric pressure fell 4 millibars, standing around 999 millibars. Continued strengthening, on August 20, Naomi would develop an eye feature, as Hurricane reconnaissance aircraft missions #3 and #4 were sent out to investigate upon the storm. An area of hurricane-force winds was reported, and in the 5 PM NHC advisory, the National Hurricane Center upgraded and issued advisories for Hurricane Naomi. Pressure changes were reported to be around 998-996 millibars.

Wind shear became increasingly sharper, and Naomi would eventually weaken back into a tropical storm on the 8 PM advisories. As Naomi progressed, increasing ridge and high pressure steered Naomi to the south, during which Naomi would regain circulation and strengthen back into a minimal Category 1 hurricane on August 21. Naomi drifted back to the north, were the wind shear rapidly decreased, moisture was well defined and water temperatures were at an all time high at 39°C, in which Naomi would explosively intensify. In 6 hours, Naomi's barometric pressure fell from 997 millibars to 936 millibars, and the wind speed went from 75 mph to 145 mph, marking the fastest intensification from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 4 hurricane in recent years.

The system picked up speed, as the storm developed a well-defined eye, showing more signs of strengthening and more signs of circulation in the next few days. On the 11 AM advisories on August 23, 2026, Naomi would reach Category 5 status, as mission #9 of the next 10 hurricane reconnaissance aircraft missions reported a wind speed of 165 mph, and a barometric pressure of 917 millibars. Naomi would continue explosively deepening, reaching 185 mph in the next 3 advisories, and the barometric pressure fell 20 millibars, to 897 millibars (hPa), by mission #13 of the NOAA reconnaissance aircraft missions. A shift of speed from 6 mph to 9 mph was reported in recent radar imagery, showing the gradual pick-up of speed. The National Hurricane Center issued hurricane watches for the entire island of the Bahamas, as well as a hurricane statement issued for South Florida.

The next advisories prompted a wind-speed downgrade, but still maintaining a low pressure of around 896 millibars by recent NOAA missions into Naomi, reporting a minimal pressure of 897.2 millibars. The hurricane watches were upgraded to hurricane warnings, as Naomi showed signs of picking up more speed and strength as Naomi had speed upgraded to westward at 12 mph. Around August 23, in the 2 PM advisories, Naomi made landfall on South Eleuthera, with a minimal wind speed of 185 mph, and a barometric pressure of 893 millibars. Land interaction from the Bahamas weakened Naomi slightly, however with amid moisture, no vertical wind shear, and water temperatures above-average, Naomi bottomed a pressure of 886 millibars, and a peak intensity of 190 miles per hour, one of the strongest storms observed in the Atlantic basin.

Nearing a South Florida landfall, land interaction weakened Naomi down to 175 mph, along with a minimal barometric pressure of 893 millibars, still bottoming out under 900 millibars. Hurricane Warnings were issued by the NHC on the 8 PM advisories, and the storm's speed was dwindled to a mere 4 mph.