Hurricane Hugo - Luquillo, Puerto Rico - September 18, 1989

This is my Hurricane Hugo chase video. The footage was taken during Hugo's landfall on the northeast tip of Puerto Rico at Luquillo. In my 25 years of hurricane chasing, this remains, overall, the best footage I have ever been fortunate enough to capture. Though I have been in stronger hurricanes, given that Hugo was a borderline category three/four and the strongest portion of the eyewall passed directly over my location (during daylight hours), I had the rare opportunity to document the full force of an intense hurricane at a direct coastal location. Though significant damage begins about 8 minutes into the video, the peak winds occur between 10 through 21 minutes in, and are sustained near 130mph with gusts to 150-160mph. An anemometer on the island of Culebra (just offshore Eastern Puerto Rico) reported a peak gust of 170mph when the same portion of the eyewall passed over that location a couple of hours prior to reaching Luquillo.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Hurricane
• Hugo
• Severe
• Weather
• Storms
• Tropical
• Cyclone
• Typhoon
• Puerto
• Rico
• Hurricanes
• 1989
• Extreme
• Wind
• Disaster
• Luquillo
• San
• Juan
• Huracan
• Eyewall
• Eye
• Violent
• Michael
• Laca
• Chase
• Chaser
• Chasing
• Catastrophe
• Historic
• Virgin
• Islands
• Vieques
• Culebra
• Caribbean
• Sea
• South
• Carolina
• Jim
• Leonard
• Andy
• Dressler

[cape6000jkg]

The long version is better IMO.because you get the full appreciation of the event as it unfolds. The gradual increase in windspeed lets you see just how strong it gets and every second of the strongest wind is important for the full effect.. The difference in quality between the two versions is not significant enough to really matter. This vodeo rocks. It is the best footage I have ever seen. Thanks for posting it.

[vmax135]

@cape6000jkg Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video... Hugo was an absolutely unbelievable experience. When I originally posted this video, YouTube allowed "director" accounts to upload clips of any length. Unfortunately, by the time I had the remastered version, they had restricted all video uploads to ten minutes or less. Thanks again for the comment!

[juanpr37]

excelente video. Pienso que en vez de juzgar leguajes o formas de comunicacion se tuvo los pantalones en ese momento de grabar un video para exponer la catastrofe que causo este huracan... (Consejo) no se fijen en si dijo (Yellow) o Amariiiilllouuuuu, al final de el dia las personas que grabaron esto tuvieron los pantalones de estar despiertos toda la noche y en lamadrugada de este dia>>>>....

[omarcrrdenas]

i will neva forget that day i cried soo much with my mom .. i was soooo scared...

[25143J]

the bigest gust is at 17:21.

[rbutler89]

Probably the best hurricane footage ever filmed..

[javy991]

choros de ignorantes incultos sin educacion los animales son por lo regular los que marcan un territorio aqui todos vivimos en una sola casa que es nuestro planeta yo soy puertorriqueÑo y e aprendido mucho de mi pastor que es dominicano y no me averguenzo decir que e aprendido mucho con el y le deceo lo mejor a los americanos,mejicanos y a todo el mundo y aqui se esta hablando de un fenomeno natural que cuando pasa por algun pais no pregunta de que nacionalidad es la jente y mata personas igual

[aceofagony]

h-u-r-r-i-c-a-n-e h-u-g-o

[25143J]

i remember in the national geographic video cyclone you said the rain had been drivin into the walls through the stairs coming down the stairway. wasn't the 150mph wind hitting something at the bottom of the building?

[guerrero820]

@elsoda JA..!! no,denadamihermano..!! es lo siento ..saludos a toda lagente de PUERTO RICO. y es cierto verdad..?? la mayoria de puertoriquenios q estan en USA. son racistas.por jempo a nosotros no nos quieren nos dicen MOJADOS..!! no nos hablan en espaniol,.pero q importa.. yo sigo queriendoa PUERTO RICO .saludos mi hermano,desde MEXICO AVER CUANDO SE VIENE A PASEAR POR ACA.. EHHH..!!

[Oceanstorm80]

@elquijote007 For you if you read this, and for those that, at least check their history and our history. Puerto Rico fue invadido por Estados Unidos en el 1898. Nuestro idioma durante los ultimos 400 años ha sido el español, y asi se quedara. Y digo los ultimos 400 años, porque antes del descubrimiento de PR por los europeos (19 de noviembre de 1493), vivian los Tainos. Aprenda de su historia, aprenda de la nuestra y de los demas paises del mundo antes de hacer tal peticion.

[Oceanstorm80]

@guerrero820 Somos ciudadanos americanos, pq asi nos lo impusieron para llevarnos a las guerras entre otras cosas. Yo, no dejo de ser puertorriqueño por el hecho de que fuimos invadidos en el 1898, o que mi pasaporte diga otra cosa. Hay estados, hay naciones, y hay colonias en el siglo 21.

[FLguyGB]

The gust from 17:10 to 17:21 makes the hair on my neck and arms stand up...I've been through many hurricanes, and I will never forget that sound.

[11StormChaser]

Love it.