Lowest pressure measured

[azsnowman]

As I've stated in other posts, I'm not a hurricane buff, not much need in the mountains "LOL!" anyway....what's the lowest pressure ever measured in a hurricane?

Dennis

[Andrew92]

888 mb for Gilbert in 1988, but for Typhoon Tip in 1979, 870 mb!

-Andrew92

[cycloneye]

In the atlantic hurricane Gilbert had 888 mbs in 1988 the lowest pressure so far in the basin but I know that in the pacific there haved been more down than that but I know that Stormsfury or others who have those stats can share them.

[azsnowman]

Thanks for the info and also for bearing with an old mountain man....this tropics stuff is all new to me, very interesting.....needless to say, I'm now hooked on it!

Dennis

[Josephine96]

Hey Andrew... Wouldn't 888 or 870 be enough to like bust your ear drums or something? Forgive me if that sounds extreme...

[soonertwister]

I think that because of prevailing background pressures in the Atlantic versus the Pacific, that Gilbert was actually considered the strongest storm.

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/CI-chart.html

[weatherluvr]

I read that during the Labor Day Hurricane, which had a pressure of 892mb, there were reports of refrigerator doors popping open, and small fish died from the extreme low pressure. I haven't heard of any affect on humans (from the pressure, at least).

[JetMaxx]

The Labor Day hurricane of 1935 likely had the strongest sustained winds of any hurricane in history....

Not only was the pressure extremely low at 892 mb...but like Andrew, the Labor Day hurricane was extremely small....which means a very tight pressure gradient = higher sustained winds than would normally be expected for a 892 mb central pressure (185-190 mph)...

Andrew was re-evaluated at 170-175 mph (150 kt) with a pressure of 922 mb east of the Bahamas, so using extrapolation we can theorize sustained winds in the Labor Day hurricane were likely at or exceeding 200 mph....with gusts over 230 mph...or the equivelent of a F4 tornado. That extreme intensity explains the reports of victims being literally sandblasted to death by bits of sand and coral....and reports the scene resembled the aftermath of a violent tornado or aircraft crash (bodies missing limbs, beheaded, etc).

Hurricane Andrew was frighteningly violent in South Dade....but the 1935 Labor Day hurricane was even worse :o :o