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Hurricane Georges formed on September 15, 1998 as the seventh tropical depression of the season. Fifteen hours later, it became the seventh named storm of the season and 36 hours after forming, it became the fourth hurricane so far, following Bonnie, Danielle, and Earl.
It moved west rapidly into a lot of warm water to allow rapid strengthening. In the late afternoon hours on September 18, Georges had sustained winds of 105 mph (170 km/h) as it continued its westerly track racing at 22 mph.
Georges became a major hurricane early in the afternoon on September 19 with 125 mph (200 km/h) winds. Shipping reports estimated that the storm had winds of 150 mph by 11:00 P.M. that night.
The next day, hurricane hunter data showed that the storm was weakened slightly to 135 mph. Georges was now nearing the Leeward Islands. However, the storm strayed north of the islands and headed towards Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and Cuba.
Georges slammed into Puerto Rico crossing the island completely. It caused nearly $1 billion in damage. Next, Georges crossed the mountainous terrain of Hispanola completely. 533 deaths were directly attributed to Georges in Hispanola (266 in the Dominican Republic and 267 in Haiti), and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Georges weakened some more, dropping from 120 to 115 mph while crossing Puerto Rico and then down to 75 mph while approaching Cuba.
Georges sideswiped Cuba on the 24thSeptember 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). There are 98 days remaining. Events 622 Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina 1493 Christopher Columbus departs on his second expedition to the New World 1664 Netherlands surren and made a direct hit on the Florida KeysThe Florida Keys is an archipelago or cluster of islands extending from the southeastern Florida peninsula near Miami, running south and then curving west to Key West, and out to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas. The islands lie in the Florida Straits, dividi. Schools were closed in the southern part of the state. However, Miami, FloridaThis article is about the city in Florida. for other meanings, see Miami (disambiguation . Miami is a city located in southeast Florida in Miami-Dade County on the Miami River, between the Florida Everglades and the Atlantic Ocean, in the United States. and Key Biscayne got squally weather. Georges then moved northwest towards Biloxi, MississippiThe city derived its name originally from the Biloxi a native American tribe: Biloxi (Tribe Biloxi is a city located in Harrison County, Mississippi. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 50,644. The city is home to the Mississippi Sea where it would make landfall for a fifth time. Georges ravaged many towns in MississippiMississippi ( In Detail) (Full size) State nickname: Magnolia State Other U. States Capital Jackson Largest City Jackson Governor Haley Barbour Area Total Land Water % water Ranked 32nd 125,546 kmē121,606 kmē 3,940 kmē 3% Population Total ( 2000) Density with its winds, and storm surge. An occasional tornadoFor other uses of Tornado, see Tornado (disambiguation). waterspout near Florida. A tornado is a violent windstorm characterized by a twisting, funnel-shaped cloud. The word "tornado" comes from the Spanish or Portuguese verb tornar meaning "to turn. wasn't out of the question, either.
President Clinton declared most of the state a disaster area. It caused $31 million dollars in damage in several counties in Mississippi. Georges dissipated near the Alabama- Georgia border on September 29.Overall, Georges caused $5.9 billion in damage to the United States and its possessions, making it the third costliest hurricane to affect the US in the 20th century.
The name was retired in the spring of 1999 along with Hurricane Mitch.
See also: List of notable tropical cyclones
Georges (1998)