Hurricane Dean
Hurricane Dean was the strongest tropical cyclone of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season. It was also the strongest Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Wilma of 2005. Also, it made the third strongest Atlantic hurricane landfall. Dean moved west-northwest from the eastern Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lucia Channel and into the Caribbean Sea. It became into a very strong hurricane, reaching Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale before moving south of Jamaica on August 20. The storm moved onto land on the Yucatán Peninsula on August 21 as a Category 5 storm. It moved across the peninsula and entered the Bay of Campeche, as a weakened storm, but still a hurricane. It strengthened for a short time before making a second landfall in Veracruz near Tecolutla, Mexico, on August 22. Dean slowly moved to the northwest, weakening into a low pressure area which dissipated over the southwestern United States.[1]
| Category 5 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
 Hurricane Dean approaching the Yucatán Peninsula | |
| Formed | August 13, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | August 23, 2007 |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 175 mph (280 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 905 mbar (hPa); 26.72 inHg |
| Fatalities | 32 direct, 12 indirect |
| Damage | $1.5 billion (2007 USD) |
| Areas affected | Windward Islands (especially St. Lucia, Martinique and Dominica), Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua |
| Part of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season | |
The hurricane's strong winds, waves, rains and storm surge caused over 45 deaths across ten countries and caused estimated damages of US$1.5 billion. First impacting the islands of the Lesser Antilles, Dean's path through the Caribbean severely damaged agricultural crops, especially those of Martinique and Jamaica. When it reached Mexico, Hurricane Dean was a Category 5 storm, but it missed large cities and its exceptional Category 5 strength landfall caused no deaths and less damage than in the Caribbean islands it passed as a Category 2 storm.[1] Because of the damage, the name Dean was retired, and will not be used again for a tropical cyclone.
Hurricane Dean Media
Image of Hurricane Dean at its initial peak intensity, as a Category 5 hurricane on August 18
Hurricane Dean, with its prominent eye clearly visible, as photographed by astronauts on the International Space Station
HMS Portland followed Dean through the Caribbean, prepared to support damaged islands if necessary.
Hurricane Dean over the Yucatán on August 21
Hundreds of oil platforms, such as this one in the Gulf of Mexico, were evacuated in anticipation of Hurricane Dean.
A house in Kingston, Jamaica destroyed by Hurricane Dean
Damage from Hurricane Dean in Bull Bay, Jamaica.
Dean making landfall in Mexico as a Category 5 hurricane
This Royal Caribbean ship, Freedom of the Seas, was the first cruise ship to visit Jamaica after Hurricane Dean. It called into Ocho Rios on August 22.
Heavy machinery clearing sand off the road to Norman Manley International Airport, Kingston, Jamaica, after it was buried by Hurricane Dean
Related pages
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Franklin, James L. (2008-01-31). "Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Dean" (PDF). NOAA. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
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