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Terra satellite image of Hurricane Ike at 12:05 PM CDT on Friday, September 12, 2008 (courtesy NASA's Earth Observatory). 

Synopsis
Ike evolved from a tropical disturbance that moved off the west coast of Africa at the end of August. On the morning of September 1st, a tropical depression formed approximately 1750 miles east of Puerto Rico. The depression quickly strengthened into a tropical storm later that afternoon. Moving west-northwest, Ike strengthened into a hurricane on the afternoon of September 3rd, and was located approximately 885 miles east-northeast of Puerto Rico. Ike rapidly intensified into a major hurricane late that afternoon and into the evening hours, reaching a maximum intensity of 145 mph during the early morning hours on Thursday, September 4th. 

Continuing to move west and then west-southwest, Ike began to impact the Turks and Caicos Islands on Saturday, September 6th. On Sunday, September 7th, as a category 4 hurricane, Ike slammed into the island of Great Inagua. By Sunday night, Ike moved to the Cuban coast and made another landfall as a major hurricane near the province of Holguin near Punto de Sama with maximum winds around 125 mph. Ike moved west across Cuba and eventually exited the southwest Cuban coastline near Camaguey on Monday afternoon, September 8th. Ike moved northwest that night just off the coast with a track that paralleled the Cuban coastline before making a second Cuban landfall across near the town of Puerto Padre on Tuesday afternoon September 9th. Just prior to crossing the northwest tip of Cuba as a category 1 hurricane with winds close to 80 mph that morning, Ike began producing tropical storm force winds across portions of the Florida Keys. Fortunately for the Keys, Ike would only deliver a glancing blow, as the hurricane continued to move west-northwest toward the US. Gulf coast as it crossed the southeast Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday night and early Wednesday,September 10th. 

Over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Ike grew in size and intensified to a category two hurricane with maximum winds of 100 mph by that evening. Ike continued to move northwest toward the Texas coast as the hurricane crossed the central and northwest Gulf of Mexico. Although Ike's intensity remained in the category 2 range, the cyclone continued to grow and became a very large hurricane. The diameter of tropical storm force winds covering a total of 425 miles from the northwest to southeast as Ike approached the upper Texas coast on Friday, September 12th. Ike made landfall at 2:10 am CDT Saturday, September 13th near Galveston, Texas. Ike was a category 2 hurricane at landfall with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. 

Hurricane Ike produced a damaging, destructive and deadly storm surge across the upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts, and will likely end up being the third costliest natural disaster in the United States behind Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Andrew.

Montage of Hurricane Ike with track (courtesy of CIMSS Tropical Cyclones) Montage of Hurricane Ike without track (courtesy of CIMSS Tropical Cyclones)  



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Hurricane Local Statement
10 Sept 08 / 1738Z 10 Sept 08 / 2228Z 11 Sept 08 / 0056Z
11 Sept 08 / 0519Z 11 Sept 08 / 0712Z 11 Sept 08 / 1004Z
11 Sept 08 / 1105Z 11 Sept 08 / 1303Z 11 Sept 08 / 1321Z
11 Sept 08 / 1634Z 11 Sept 08 / 1641Z 11 Sept 08 / 1820Z
11 Sept 08 / 1826Z 11 Sept 08 / 2119Z 12 Sept 08 / 0119Z
12 Sept 08 / 0417Z 12 Sept 08 / 0640Z 12 Sept 08 / 1000Z
12 Sept 08 / 1218Z 12 Sept 08 / 1233Z 12 Sept 08 / 1456Z
12 Sept 08 / 1623Z 12 Sept 08 / 1632Z 12 Sept 08 / 1832Z
12 Sept 08 / 2123Z 12 Sept 08 / 2339Z 13 Sept 08 / 0121Z
13 Sept 08 / 0342Z 13 Sept 08 / 0609Z 13 Sept 08 / 0755Z
13 Sept 08 / 1020Z 13 Sept 08 / 1126Z 13 Sept 08 / 1403Z
13 Sept 08 / 1628Z 13 Sept 08 / 1836Z 13 Sept 08 / 2118Z

 

Forecast Discussions
09 Sept 08 / 2035Z 10 Sept 08 / 0222Z 10 Sept 08 / 0903Z
10 Sept 08 / 0906Z 10 Sept 08 / 1610Z 10 Sept 08 / 1618Z
10 Sept 08 / 2124Z 11 Sept 08 / 0144Z 11 Sept 08 / 0322Z
11 Sept 08 / 1021Z 11 Sept 08 / 1031Z 11 Sept 08 / 1559Z
11 Sept 08 / 2054Z 12 Sept 08 / 0249Z 12 Sept 08 / 0919Z
12 Sept 08 / 1155Z 12 Sept 08 / 1535Z 12 Sept 08 / 2105Z
13 Sept 08 / 0329Z 13 Sept 08 / 0618Z 13 Sept 08 / 0833Z
13 Sept 08 / 0834Z 13 Sept 08 / 1521Z 13 Sept 08 / 2047Z
14 Sept 08 / 0238Z 14 Sept 08 / 0250Z 14 Sept 08 / 0832Z
14 Sept 08 / 1457Z 14 Sept 08 / 2005Z 14 Sept 08 / 2216Z
15 Sept 08 / 0241Z - 15 Sept 08 / 0922Z

 

Hazardous Weather Outlook
10 Sept 08 / 1049Z 11 Sept 08 / 0357Z 11 Sept 08 / 1047Z
12 Sept 08 / 0409Z 12 Sept 08 / 1138Z 13 Sept 08 / 0955Z
14 Sept 08 / 1111Z - 14 Sept 08 / 2011Z
Short Term Forecast
12 Sept 08 / 2320Z 13 Sept 08 / 0117Z 13 Sept 08 / 0244Z
13 Sept 08 / 0456Z 13 Sept 08 / 0655Z 13 Sept 08 / 0858Z
13 Sept 08 / 1011Z 13 Sept 08 / 1120Z 13 Sept 08 / 1241Z
13 Sept 08 / 1340Z - 13 Sept 08 / 1441Z


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