The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season was an event in the annual tropical cyclone season in the north Atlantic Ocean. An above-average Atlantic hurricane season, it was the first on record to have a major hurricane in every month from July to November.
The season officially began on June 1, 2008, and ended on November 30, 2008, dates that conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones develop in the Atlantic basin. The season's first storm, Tropical Storm Arthur, formed on May 30, and the last, Hurricane Paloma, dissipated on November 10. Pre-season forecasts noted a high possibility for an above average number of tropical cyclones, primarily due to lingering La Niña effects and abnormally warm sea surface temperatures across the Atlantic basin. Altogether, 16 of the 17 tropical cyclones observed during the season developed into tropical storms. Of these, eight became hurricanes with five intensifying further into major hurricanes. With the exception of Tropical Storm Nana, every tropical cyclone during the season affected land to an extent.
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.
The time stamp for each event is first stated using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the 24-hour clock where 00:00 = midnight UTC. The NHC uses both UTC and the time zone where the center of the tropical cyclone is currently located. The time zones utilized (east to west) prior to 2020 were: Atlantic, Eastern, and Central. In this timeline, the respective area time is included in parentheses. Additionally, figures for maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (miles, or kilometers), following National Hurricane Center practice. Direct wind observations are rounded to the nearest whole number. Atmospheric pressures are listed to the nearest millibar and nearest hundredth of an inch of mercury. __TOC__
Timeline
May
May 31 0000 UTC (8:00 p.m. EDT May 30) – Tropical Storm Arthur develops from an area of low pressure roughly east of Belize City, Belize. 0600 UTC (2:00 a.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Arthur attains its peak intensity with winds of and a barometric pressure of 1004 mbar (hPa; 29.65 inHg). 0900 UTC (5:00 a.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Arthur makes landfall in northeastern Belize, about midway between Belize City and Chetumal, Mexico, with winds of .
June June 1 The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins. 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Arthur weakens to a tropical depression over the Yucatan, roughly north of the northern border of Guatemala and Mexico. June 2 0000 UTC (8:00 p.m. EDT June 1) – Tropical Depression Arthur degenerates into a non-convective remnant low pressure area.
July July 3 0600 UTC (2:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Depression Two develops from a tropical wave roughly south-southeast of the Cape Verde Islands. 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Depression Two strengthens into Tropical Storm Bertha to the south of the Cape Verde Islands. July 7
0600 UTC (2:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Storm Bertha strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale, the first of the season, roughly east of the northern Leeward Islands. 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. AST) – Hurricane Bertha rapidly strengthens into a major hurricane—a storm with winds of or higher. 2100 UTC (5:00 p.m. AST) – Hurricane Bertha attains its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . July 8 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) – Hurricane Bertha weakens to a Category 2 hurricane. 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. AST) – Hurricane Bertha weakens to a Category 1 hurricane. July 9 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. AST) – Hurricane Bertha restrengthens into a Category 2 hurricane. July 10 0600 UTC (2:00 a.m. AST) – Hurricane Bertha weakens to a Category 1 hurricane. July 13 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) – Hurricane Bertha weakens to a tropical storm. July 18 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. AST) – Tropical Storm Bertha strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane for a second time. July 19 0000 UTC (8:00 p.m. AST July 18) – Tropical Depression Three develops from an area of low pressure roughly east of the Georgia/South Carolina border. 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Depression Three strengthens into Tropical Storm Cristobal off the coast of South Carolina. July 20
0000 UTC (8:00 p.m. AST July 19) – Hurricane Bertha weakens into a tropical storm once again. 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Storm Bertha transitions into an extratropical cyclone. 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Storm Dolly develops from a tropical wave east of Chetumal, Mexico. July 21 0530 UTC (1:30 a.m. AST) – Tropical Storm Dolly makes landfall near Cancun, Mexico with winds of . July 22 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Storm Cristobal reaches its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . July 23 0000 UTC (7:00 p.m. CDT July 22) – Tropical Storm Dolly intensifies into a Category 1 hurricane. 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Storm Cristobal is absorbed by a larger extratropical cyclone. 1400 UTC (9:00 a.m. CDT) – Hurricane Dolly strengthens into a Category 2 hurricane and reaches its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of off the coast of Texas. 1820 UTC (1:20 p.m. CDT) – Hurricane Dolly makes landfall on the Texas mainland, about southeast of Port Mansfield, Texas, with winds of . 2000 UTC (3:00 p.m. CDT) – Hurricane Dolly makes landfall on the Texas mainland, roughly south of Port Mansfield, Texas, with winds of . July 24 0600 UTC (1:00 a.m. CDT) – Hurricane Dolly weakens to a tropical storm. July 25 0000 UTC (7:00 p.m. CDT July 24) – Tropical Storm Dolly weakens to a tropical depression over extreme northern Mexico. July 26 0000 UTC (7:00 p.m. CDT July 25) – Tropical Depression Dolly degenerates into a non-convective remnant low pressure area over the mountainous terrain of inland Mexico.
August
August 3 1200 UTC (7:00 a.m. CDT) – Tropical Depression Five develops from an area of low pressure roughly south of Pensacola, Florida. August 4 0000 UTC (7:00 p.m. CDT August 3) – Tropical Depression Five strengthens into Tropical Storm Edouard to the southeast of Louisiana. August 5 1200 UTC (7:00 a.m. CDT) – Tropical Storm Edouard reaches its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . At this time, Edouard also makes landfall at McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Texas. August 6 0000 UTC (7:00 p.m. CDT August 6) – Tropical Storm Edouard weakens to a tropical depression over inland Texas. 0600 UTC (1:00 a.m. CDT) – Tropical Depression Edouard degenerates into a non-convective remnant low pressure area over northern Texas. August 15 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. EDT) – A tropical depression develops just west of the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico.<ref August 15 name=fTCR></ref> 1430 UTC (10:30 a.m. EDT) – The tropical depression near Puerto Rico strengthens into Tropical Storm Fay and makes landfall near El Cabo, Dominican Republic with winds of . August 16 1145 UTC (7:45 a.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Fay makes landfall along eastern Gonavé Island, Haiti with winds of . August 17 0900 UTC (5:00 a.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Fay makes landfall east of Cabo Cruz, Cuba with winds of . August 18
0700 UTC (3:00 a.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm makes landfall west of Cienfuegos, Cuba with winds of . 2030 UTC (4:30 p.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Fay makes its first landfall on Florida, near Key West, with winds of . August 19 0845 UTC (4:45 a.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Fay makes its second landfall on Florida, just east of Cape Romano, with winds of . 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Fay reaches its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . August 21 1900 UTC (3:00 p.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Fay makes its third landfall on Florida, near Flagler Beach, with winds of . August 23 0615 UTC (2:15 a.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Fay makes a record-breaking fourth landfall on Florida, just southwest of Carrabelle, with winds of . August 24 0000 UTC (8:00 p.m. EDT August 23) – Tropical Storm Fay weakens to a tropical depression. August 25
0000 UTC (8:00 p.m. EDT August 24) – Tropical Depression Seven forms from a tropical wave roughly northeast of Bonaire. 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. EDT) – Tropical Depression Seven rapidly intensifies into Tropical Storm Gustav. August 26 0600 UTC (2:00 a.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Gustav strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane. 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. EDT) – Hurricane Gustav makes landfall on the southwestern peninsula of Haiti with winds of 0000 UTC (8:00 p.m. EDT August 26) – Hurricane Gustav weakens to a tropical storm over the southwestern peninsula of Haiti. 0600 UTC (2:00 a.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Fay merges with a larger extratropical cyclone. August 28 0000 UTC (8:00 p.m. EDT August 27) – Tropical Depression Eight forms from an area of low pressure roughly east-northwest of the northern Leeward Islands. 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. EDT) – Tropical Depression Eight strengthens into Tropical Storm Hanna. 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Gustav makes landfall near Manchioneal, Jamaica with winds of . August 29 0200 UTC (10:00 p.m. EDT August 28) – Tropical Storm Gustav makes landfall just east of Lionel Town, Jamaica with winds of . 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. EDT) – Tropical Storm Gustav restrengthens into a hurricane. August 30 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. EDT) – Hurricane Gustav makes landfall on the southeastern coast of the Isle of Youth, Cuba with winds of . 2200 UTC (6:00 p.m. EDT) – Hurricane Gustav reaches its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . Additionally, Gustav makes landfall just east of Los Palacios, Cuba at this intensity.
September September 1
0600 UTC (2:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Depression Nine forms from a tropical wave roughly west of the Cape Verde Islands. 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Depression Nine strengthens into Tropical Storm Ike. 1500 UTC (10:00 a.m. CDT) – Hurricane Gustav makes landfall near Cocodrie, Louisiana with winds of . 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. AST) – Tropical Storm Hanna strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane north of the Dominican Republic. September 2 0000 UTC (7:00 p.m. CDT September 1) – Hurricane Gustav weakens to a tropical storm over southwestern Louisiana. 0000 UTC (8:00 p.m. AST September 2) – Hurricane Hanna reaches its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . Additionally, the system makes landfall near Providencials Island, Caicos Islands at this intensity. 0000 UTC (8:00 p.m. AST September 1) – Tropical Depression Ten forms from a tropical wave roughly south-southeast of Sal, Cape Verde Islands. 0600 UTC (2:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Depression Ten strengthens into Tropical Storm Josephine. 1200 UTC (7:00 a.m. CDT) – Tropical Storm Gustav weakens to a tropical depression. 1200 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) – Hurricane Hanna weakens to a tropical storm. September 3 0600 UTC (2:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Storm Josephine reaches its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. AST) – Tropical Storm Ike strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane roughly east-northwest of the northern Leeward Islands. 1900 UTC (3:00 p.m. AST) – Tropical Storm Hanna makes landfall near Middle Caicos Island with winds of . September 4
0000 UTC (8:00 p.m. AST September 3) – Hurricane Ike rapidly strengthens into a Category 3 hurricane. 0600 UTC (2:00 a.m. AST) – Hurricane Ike reaches its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . 1200 UTC (7:00 a.m. CDT) – Tropical Depression Gustav transitions into an extratropical cyclone over Missouri. September 5