Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | May 31, 1988 |
Dissipated | June 2, 1988 |
Tropical depression | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 30 mph (45 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 1002 mbar (hPa); 29.59 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 37 |
Areas affected | Cuba, Florida |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season |
Tropical Depression One was the wettest tropical cyclone in Cuba since Hurricane Flora of 1963. The first tropical cyclone of the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season, the system developed on May 30 from an area of disturbed weather in the northwestern Caribbean Sea. The tropical depression headed northeastward, making landfall in La Habana Province, Cuba, without intensifying. Crossing Cuba, the depression became very disorganized as it emerged into the Straits of Florida and degenerated into an open trough on June 2. Although only a tropical depression, the system flooded central and western Cuba with over 40 inches (1000 mm) of rain, causing 37 fatalities, damage to over 1,000 houses, and the evacuation of about 65,000 residents.