The Effects Of Hurricane Gilbert

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160 knots which is about 175 mph and gusts up to 121 mph (Stengel 18). At 10, 000 feet, Gilbert's Counter clockwise winds reached up to 200 miles per hour, and at ground level the winds were around 175 mph(Stengel 17). With winds that strong, almost nothing could stop that storm. When the winds began to spread out over a large area, they stirred the Atlantic waters and brought cool water underneath the earth's surface; therefore, causing a reduction in the amount of rapid showers and thunderstorms (Sheets 1).
Water was another contributing factor in the destruction caused by Hurricane Gilbert. Hurricane Gilbert formed in the same manner as most tropical storms do. "A reason for Gilbert's strength was the warm air placed itself in contact with the water, the air became wet and was then moistened by evaporation" (Sheets 2). Hurricane conditions can only happen during warm months and over warm waters. Storm surges only occur when the storm meets the land. Gilbert's system of ...

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Since Gilbert had a low pressure reading, it was more likely to cause extreme damage. Hurricane Gilbert received a rating or category of five on the Saffir/Simpson scale, which reads a storms strength (Sheets 3). Category five is the highest level that a hurricane can be rated at. This denotes that Gilbert was proficient enough to cause "catastrophic damage" ("Hurricane Gilbert" 689). Another hurricane to reach level five was Camille, a hurricane that occurred in 1969 (Trippet 18).
When a hurricane such as Gilbert, that is rated a Category five, wind and water damage are extremely dynamic. Windows can be blown out, trees up rooted and mall buildings can be destroyed during a hurricane ...

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