Cozumel Hurricane Blog

After I recently saw a show on a hurricane that hit Galveston in 1900, I realized that there are many stories of Cozumel hurricanes that are going to be lost to time. From my mom and Bill Horn's crazy drive in Hurricane Gilbert, to Doña Griselda and Rogelia talking about storm surge in an earlier hurricane that reached half a block up the street all the way to my house, to the wind sock at the military airport breaking after recording 216 mph in what was the category 2 Hurricane Beulah...stories will be gone with the people who remember them. I want to start this blog to collect these stories: tell me your own, talk to your parents or grandparents, and please share!

I'll set up a separate entry for each Hurricane, and I'll also post full meteorological info as soon as I can. In the meantime, don't let the stories, memories, gossip, and news of the hurricanes be forgotten.

Here is a list of Hurricanes, from Hurricane City, at http://www.hurricanecity.com/ (Used with permission).

Cozumel,Mexico's history with tropical systemsCurrent weather(br)=brush (ts)=Tropical Storm (bd)=Back Door,meaning coming from over land from opposite coast.Not all names are noted,also storms before 1950 were not named.Not every stat on every storm description is given(since 1871).

Years within 60 miles
1873,1877,1879br,1880,1880ts,1886,1887br,1887,1893,1893br,1895ts,1898ts,1901tsbr,1903
,1905tsbr,1909ts,1912,1913,1918tsbr,1920tsbr,1922br,1924tsbr,1933ts
1933,1936-2ts,1938,1938br,1939ts,1942br,1944br,1944,1945tsbr,1947tsbr,1951
1953tsbr,1955br,1965ts,1967,1975ts,1988,1988tsbr,1995tsbr,1995,2003ts,2005,2005tsbr,2005,2007br
49 times in 137yrs end of 2007


Names from list above
Charlie,Hazel,Hilda,Debbie,Beulah,Eloise,Gilbert,Keith,Arlene,Roxanne,Emily,Stan,Wilma,Dean,

How often this area gets affected?
brushed or hit every 2.80 years

Average years between direct hurricane hits.(usually within 40 miles to include small hurricanes)
(18h)once every 7.56 years

Statistically when this area should be affected next
brushed in 2007

Last affected by
2007 Aug 21st Hurricane Dean passes well to the south with 165mph winds.

This areas hurricane past
1873 oct 1st a hurricane from the east with 90mph winds move just NE of here turning north
1877 80mph just east while turning north sept 29th
1880 aug 9th a hurricane from the ESE hits just south
1903 a cat 2 hits in august
1912 a cat 2 hits in october
1913 a cat 2 hits in june
1933 a cat 2 hits in sept
1938 a cat 2 hits in august
1944 a cat 1 hits
1951 hurricane Charlie hits with 125mph winds in august
1967 Beulah hits as a cat 2
1988 during hurricane Gilbert 52 were killed towns were destroyed by a 17ft storm surge,175mph ruins only had minor damage. Satelite photo
1995 hurricane Roxanne hits with 115mph winds press 28.29
2005 July 17th & 18th Hurricane Emily hits as a cat 4,although surface winds were much less. Sporadic damage to buildings in & around Cozumel,Mexico. Damage shot from Playa del carmen on mainland #1 | #2 | #3 | Animated radar at landfall
2005,Oct 21st, Hurricane Wilma passes over the Island while moving slowly NNW. Extensive damage to nearly the entire island.At this time Wilma had winds of 140mph & was moving very slowly at less than 5mph.Hurricane force winds pounded the island for over 24hrs. As of early 2006 many hotels are still shut down & the cruise ships docks have been destroyed.Satellite image of Wilma as a cat 5 before landfall, strongest ever in the Atlantic basin as of 2005. | animated radar