Hurricane Joan–Miriam
Hurricane Joan was a long lived and powerful tropical cyclone that caused death and destruction in over a dozen countries in the Caribbean and Central America. Moving on a due west course for nearly two weeks in October 1988, Hurricane Joan caused widespread flooding and over 200 deaths after moving into Central America. Widespread suffering and economic crises were exacerbated by Joan, primarily across Nicaragua, as heavy rains and high winds impacted those near the hurricane's path.
Hurricane Joan near peak intensity on October 21 east of Costa Rica | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | October 10, 1988 |
| Dissipated | November 2, 1988 |
| Category 4 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 145 mph (230 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 932 mbar (hPa); 27.52 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 216-334 total (all as Joan) |
| Damage | $2 billion (1988 USD) |
| Areas affected | Windward Islands, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Panama (as Joan), El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico (as Miriam), Nicaragua (as both) |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1988 Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons | |
After crossing Central America into the Pacific, the cyclone was renamed Tropical Storm Miriam, with the system's dissipation occurring southwest of Mexico. Joan–Miriam was the final hurricane of the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season and the final named storm of the Pacific hurricane season.