Timeline of the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season

Timeline of the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
Season boundaries
First system formed	May 31, 1988
Last system dissipated	November 24, 1988
Strongest system
Name	Gilbert
Maximum winds	185 mph (295 km/h) (1-minute sustained)
Lowest pressure	888 mbar (hPa; 26.22 inHg)
Longest lasting system
Name	Joan
Duration	12.5[nb 1] days
Storm articles Tropical Depression One (1988) Tropical Storm Beryl (1988) Tropical Storm Chris (1988) Hurricane Debby (1988) Hurricane Florence (1988) Hurricane Gilbert Hurricane Joan–Miriam Tropical Storm Keith (1988)
Other years 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990

The 1988 Atlantic hurricane season was an event in the annual Atlantic hurricane season in the north Atlantic Ocean. It was an active season during which twelve tropical cyclones formed. The season officially began on June 1, 1988 and ended November 30, 1988. These dates, adopted by convention, historically describe the period in each year when most systems form.^[1]

Of this season's 12 named storms, 5 attained hurricane status, of which 3 became a major hurricane – a storm that ranks as a Category 3 or higher on the Saffir–Simpson scale. The most notable storm in 1988 was Hurricane Gilbert, which was at the time the most intense hurricane in the Atlantic on record. Hurricane Gilbert caused about $5 billion in damage and 300 fatalities. The other notable storm was Hurricane Joan, which struck Nicaragua as a category 4 hurricane, and caused about $2 billion in damage and about 200 fatalities. Joan crossed into the Pacific and was renamed Miriam. As a result of their intensity, the names Gilbert and Joan were subsequently retired from reuse in the North Atlantic by the World Meteorological Organization.^[2]

This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, and dissipations during the season. It includes information that was not released throughout the season, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center, such as a storm that was not initially warned upon, has been included.

By convention, meteorologists one time zone when issuing forecasts and making observations: Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and also use the 24-hour clock (where 00:00 = midnight UTC).^[3] In this time line, all information is listed by UTC first with the respective local time included in parentheses.

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