Hurricane Gilbert (Wes Skiles Tribute) - September 14, 1988 - Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Amazing footage of Hurricane Gilbert in Playa del Carmen, Mexico on the morning of September 14, 1988, as shot by the late, great, Wes Skiles. Gilbert was a category five hurricane at landfall in the Yucatan with maximum sustained winds of 160mph and a central pressure near 900mb.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Hurricane
• Gilbert
• Wes
• Skiles
• Tribute
• September
• 1988
• Category
• Five
• Yucatan
• Playa
• Del
• Carmen
• Cancun
• Cozumel
• Mexico

[real0988]

Great tribute to Wes Skiles, rest in peace .. Gilbert, perhaps the most brutal impact on the peninsula, even more than Janet or Dean. These gusts to 3:00 are insane!, maybe 160 mph! .. imagine you in Cancun this time, Michael! :o

[vmax135]

@real0988 Hi Roy! Yes... I was so sad to learn of his passing. The movie 'Sanctum' was dedicated to his memory and really highlights the incredible (and dangerous) world of cave diving. I agree that Gilbert was a beast at landfall in the Yucatan... that said, even though it was definitely one of the strongest, Gilbert had really levelled off before landfall, so I'll bet that Janet (and maybe Dean as well) brought higher winds to their respective landfall sites.

[MsBest450]

Awesome dude!!.That was reat!.And did you actually catch 160mph winds on tape?.Or did it weaken a little before it ot to your location?

[vmax135]

@MsBest450 Actually this isn't my footage, it is from the late Wes Skiles. I was in a different location. That said, at the time Gilbert crossed Cozumel, sustained winds were estimated at 160mph and the minimum pressure was 900mb (26.58in) and there wasn't much time for weakening before the center crossed the mainland, probably no more than about 5kts. Either way, this footage is likely from the southern eyewall and the highest winds appear to be around 130mph with peak gusts near 150mph.

[marioman57100]

O_o DUDE DO U KNOW WHAT UR IN U IN THE 2ND STRONGEST ALANTIC HURRICANE EVER FORED IN HISTORY!!!

[danw1374]

Those gusts are particularly ferrocious halfway through the video

[MedelProductions]

Hey vmax! What an amazing sight Wes Skiles videotaped that storm! I can't imagine how bad it was. BTW, are you still going to restore and upload some of your storm videos from the 80's?

[real0988]

Another success of Wes Skiles, Michael!! .. National Geographic included him in the best photos of 2011, for his project to photograph the great cavern of Yucatan. In memory of this great explorer. Greetings! :D

[tudssquadbuisness]

I'm surprised that the building you were in managed to hold out those wind gusts.

[tudssquadbuisness]

@vmax135 Could you feel the pressure change in anyway? 

[real0988]

@vmax135 @vmax135 Very likely what you mention, Michael.. No wind measurement data on the ground during the Gilberto, but there is a boat: the Cuban fishing "Portachernera 1" .. meteorological instrumentation on board which reported winds of 300 km/h at 6 am and more intense hours later. Unofficial data, clarifying. A monster like few others, no doubt about that. Greetings and thank you Michael! =D