Hurricane Gilbert was the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the western hemisphere since Camille struck in 1969. Sources: Preliminary Report: Hurricane Gilbert. It moved into the Yucatan peninsula, becoming the first category 5 hurricane to make landfall in … Sea, Gilbert rapidly intensified into a category 5 hurricane, with recon reports ranging between 882-885 hPa for the hurricane's surface pressure on the afternoon of the 13th. Fig. Gilbert was also one of the largest tropical cyclones ever observed in the Atlantic basin. Jamaica's last experience of a direct hit by a hurricane was in 1951—Hurricane Charlie. Hurricane Gilbert was an extremely powerful tropical cyclone that formed during the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season and brought widespread destruction to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.It was the most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin, until Hurricane Wilma surpassed it during 2005. The storm went on to cause death and destruction in Mexico and spur a batch of tornadoes in Texas. 1988 Track Chart showing track of Gilbert. Hurricane Gilbert; September 8 - 19, 1988. Unlike Charlie, Gilbert, in its eight hour rampage, traversed the entire length of the country. Wild fires, fueled by debris left by the storm, became out of control in 1989, burning 740 km2 (460 mi2) in Mexico. Hurricane Gilbert: anthropomorphising a natural disaster David Barker and David Miller Department of Geography, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica Summary Hurricane Gilbert was the most powerful tropical cyclone ever recorded in the western hemisphere. In the path of Gilbert, perhaps tens of thousands of Jamaicans and Mexicans have been left homeless, and extensive acres of croplands devastated. Hurricane Gilbert slams into Jamaica, killing hundreds of people, on September 12, 1988. NOAA P-3 aircraft radar image of Gilbert just prior to landfall at Cozumel, Mexico on September 14, 1988. National Hurricane … 2 shows the path of the eye across the island. (193K GIF) Tropical Cyclone Report for Hurricane Gilbert. Hurricane Gilbert differed from Charlie in several respects.