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Hurricane Gustav (2008)

Hurricane Gustav was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak, with 155 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 941 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 5 of the cities we track; the strongest was Lafayette, LA, with a modeled peak gust of 77 mph.

Peak strength155 mph winds (1-minute)
Category 4
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track
5
LandfallsFirst August 26, 2008
6
Lowest pressure
941 mb

Track, wind field and cities

Select a piece of the track or a city for details.

  • Depression or weaker
  • Tropical storm
  • Hurricane, Category 1 or 2
  • Major hurricane, Category 3 to 5
  • Landfall
  • City (larger ring, stronger modeled gust)
  • Modeled wind field, 39 to 111 mph sustained (darker, stronger; orange 111 mph+)
Source: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center best track (HURDAT2). City winds and the wind field are modeled.

The shaded areas are where our model puts Hurricane Gustav’s sustained winds over open land at 39 mph or more (tropical-storm force), 58, 74 (hurricane force) and 111 mph (major hurricane force) at some point along its track. Modeled, not measured. How we model hurricane winds

Landfalls

  1. August 26, 2008, Category 1 at 81 mph, in Haiti
  2. August 28, 2008, tropical storm at 69 mph, in Jamaica
  3. August 29, 2008, tropical storm at 69 mph, in Jamaica
  4. August 30, 2008, Category 4 at 144 mph, in Cuba
  5. August 30, 2008, Category 4 at 155 mph, in Cuba
  6. September 1, 2008, Category 2 at 104 mph, about 75 miles from New Orleans, LA

Modeled winds at cities (5)

Estimated peak winds for open, flat ground at each city’s center. Not measurements. How we model hurricane winds

CityPeak gustSustainedClosest passPeak
Lafayette, LA77 mph62 mph10 milesSep 1, 2008, 4:15 PM CDT
New Orleans, LA67 mph55 mph74 milesSep 1, 2008, 7:30 AM CDT
Slidell, LA63 mph51 mph92 milesSep 1, 2008, 8:15 AM CDT
Baton Rouge, LA62 mph50 mph41 milesSep 1, 2008, 12:15 PM CDT
Gulfport, MS59 mph48 mph129 milesSep 1, 2008, 8:45 AM CDT

What happened

After crossing Haiti, Jamaica and western Cuba, Gustav made its final landfall near Cocodrie, Louisiana, around 1500 UTC (10 a.m. CDT) on September 1, 2008, as a Category 2 hurricane with winds near 90 knots (104 mph) and a central pressure of 954 mb.1

Storm surge reached 12 to 13 feet along the Mississippi Delta southeast of New Orleans and 9 to 10 feet elsewhere in southeastern Louisiana.1 Surge overtopped levees and floodwalls in a few parts of the New Orleans area but did not cause widespread flooding of the city or its suburbs.1 Measured gusts reached 102 knots (117 mph) at Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River, 79 knots (91 mph) at the Baton Rouge airport and 67 knots (77 mph) at the Lafayette airport.1 Rain totaled 21.00 inches at Larto Lake, Louisiana, and caused moderate flooding along many rivers in Louisiana and Arkansas.1 Gustav produced 41 tornadoes: 21 in Mississippi, 11 in Louisiana, 6 in Florida, 2 in Arkansas and 1 in Alabama. The strongest was an EF2 in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana.1

NHC counts 7 direct deaths in Louisiana, five from falling trees and two from the Evangeline Parish tornado, plus 4 rip current drownings in Florida and 41 indirect deaths in Louisiana.1 NHC's revised estimate of US damage is $4.618 billion.1

Sources

  1. 1. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Gustav (AL072008)

Best track (50 positions)

TimeStatusWindPressurePosition
Aug 25, 00:00 UTCTropical depression29 mph1008 mb13.5°N, 67.4°W
Aug 25, 06:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1005 mb14.4°N, 68.5°W
Aug 25, 12:00 UTCTropical storm40 mph1002 mb15.1°N, 69.6°W
Aug 25, 18:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph996 mb15.8°N, 70.5°W
Aug 26, 00:00 UTCTropical storm69 mph991 mb16.4°N, 71.2°W
Aug 26, 06:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane86 mph986 mb16.9°N, 71.7°W
Aug 26, 12:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane92 mph981 mb17.5°N, 72.1°W
Aug 26, 18:00 UTC (landfall)Category 1 hurricane81 mph992 mb18.1°N, 72.8°W
Aug 27, 00:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph995 mb18.4°N, 73.1°W
Aug 27, 06:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph999 mb18.6°N, 73.4°W
Aug 27, 12:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph998 mb18.7°N, 73.7°W
Aug 27, 18:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph999 mb18.9°N, 74.0°W
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