Hurricane Joaquin

Where did Hurricane Joaquin start and end?

Hurricane Joaquin began its course as a tropical depression from a lower-tropical region towards the southwest side of the Bermuda on September 28th 2015. The wind shear led to an increase in its rage, and it moved towards the southwest direction. The increase in intensity made in into a storm and eventually on September 30th, it was declared as a hurricane. The maximum strength was reported on October 1 as its moved towards the southern coast of the Bahamas where the eye of the cyclone had touched or passed close to several islands. Within three days of its peak activity, it reduced in intensity and moved towards the northeast direction. But it quickly gained its fury the next day with a maximum concentration and causing major devastations.

How long did Hurricane Joaquin last?

Joaquin started as a tropical depression region in the Atlantic Ocean on September 27th, 2015 and hit the Bahamas area. It wrecked havoc in the Bahamas where it stayed for some time. After a while, it moved northeast and slowly dissipated by October 7th. It then underwent extratropical transition and lost its tropical characteristics by October 8. It then moved eastward and reached Portugal on October 10. It stayed in the Portugal coastline for about five days more till it was taken up by a frontal system on October 15. The total span of the hurricane Joaquin was from September 27th to October 5th which is a total of 9 days.

Where did Hurricane Joaquin hit?

It had hit the Central Bahamas region causing intense rain and storm with the areas of  Long Island and Acklins being the most affected. The El Faro cargo ship sunk in the Crooked Island area. Floods were also caused in the Granma Province, Guantanamo, and Santiago de Cuba. Flood water had caused power outages in the Bermuda region and infrastructure loss in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Southeastern United States, Cuba, Archipelago of the Azores and Haiti was also afflicted by Joaquin.

When did Hurricane Joaquin hit?

It started as a tropical wind on September 28 and gained hurricane status with maximum intensity on October 1, 2015

What caused Hurricane Joaquin?

Rain showers and thunderstorms started in the Bermuda region which led to the formation of a tropical depression. It was forecasted that the strong shear would slow down the winds, but later it became a storm and was named as Joaquin. It started moving towards the Bahamas region and the high temperature of the sea surface and the reduce on the wind shear caused the storm to develop into a hurricane with maximum intensity on 1st October.

What was the wind speed of Hurricane Joaquin?

The highest speed reported of the hurricane Joaquin was 125 mph which is 205 kmph.

What were the responses to Hurricane Joaquin?

• The government of Jamaica had donated 50 tons of supplies to the Bahamas.
• United States Agency for International Development had given 32 tons of emergency supplies.
• Several local volunteers, businesses, and organizations carried out donation activities giving away supplies to the victims.
• Permanent rebuilding was taken up as the matter of utmost importance by the National Emergency Management Agency.
• The US Coast Guard also did relief activity.
• Power and water supply was restored with generators.

What category was Hurricane Joaquin?

According to the Saffir-Simpson  Hurricane Wind Scale, Joaquin was rated to be of Category 4. It caused havoc in the areas of Bahamas, Crooked Islands, Acklins, Rum Cay, San Salvador and Long Islands. Rapid increase in power had made it reach Category 4 in October when it was declared as a hurricane. After a momentary decline in intensity, it regained the power with speed 155 mph which had reached very close to Category 5 definition before it subsided on October 7.

Why was Hurricane Joaquin so devastating?

Joaquin did not have a tropical origin, and it started as low in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm had gained hurricane characteristics within a 60 hour period. This sudden intensification did not give much time for evacuation. The path of the storms was not predictable on a definite basis, and the uncertainty was one reason for reduced precautions. The trough regions in the eastern United States make the wind take a hairpin curve towards the Bahamas. It didn't have a clear eye and caused the downfall of the islands of Bahamas. It was a major hurricane that affected the areas badly even though it reduced in intensity by October 2.

What were the effects of Hurricane Joaquin?

34 people died in the waters of Bahamas and Haiti when the cargo ship El Faro was drowned. The hurricane is estimated to have caused damaged worth about $60 million in the Bahamas alone. Crooked Island faced power outage and loss of building and homes. Water contamination left no safe drinking water for the inhabitants. A bridge and several homes were destroyed in the Acklins area. Long Island faced flooding, power issues and damage to vegetation. Floods and caused damages in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Haiti, Cuba and Bermuda. The coastal area was the most affected. The floods had caused the first fatalities before the hurricane which was later intensified with the storms. But yet warnings were sent out to the Bahamas region as early as September 30th when the first tropical depression was noticed along with favorable wind shear conditions.

What was the death toll of Hurricane Joaquin?

The reported death toll for Hurricane Joaquin was 34 people of which 33 died due to the sinking of the El Faro ship and one fisherman died in the surge of the oceans. There were linked deaths of 2 people in Carolina region due to the rain and flood that followed.

Any other interesting facts found during research?

• It is the tenth named storm.
• It is the second major hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season.
• It developed in a non-tropical low area and developed into a tropical trench.
• Major damages were caused due to the floods that hit Carolina Region after the hurricane.