Hurricane Ike 2008

Hurricane Ike was the third-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States. It was the ninth named storm, fifth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, after Bertha (July 23) and Gustav (August 25). It was a Cape Verde-type hurricane (an Atlantic hurricane that develops near the Cape Verde islands, off the west coast of Africa), that developed during the last days of August, 2008.

Damage was estimated at $24.9 billion across the country, which classifies Ike with the costliest U.S. storms ever. *Source: National Hurricane Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The impact of Hurricane Ike on The Woodlands was both minimal - thanks in no small part to the largest evacuation of Texans in that state's history - and at the same time, extreme.

On September 1, 2008, Ike became a tropical storm west of the Cape Verde islands. By the early morning hours of September 4, Ike had grown to a Category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 km/h) and a pressure of 935 mbar (27.61 inHg) making it the most intense Atlantic storm of 2008. Ike passed over the Turks and Caicos Islands as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds 135 mph (215 km/h) on September 7. Moving west along Cuba, Ike made landfall twice, the first time as a Category 4 hurricane on September 7, and again as a Category 1 hurricane two days later. Ike made its final landfall near Galveston, Texas as a strong Category 2 hurricane, on September 13, 2008, at 2:10 a.m. CDT.

From Galveston, Texas to the northeastern United States, Hurricane Ike caused a tremendous amount of flooding, damage, and despair across the country. Ike caused extensive damage and flooding, downed trees and left more than three million people in the Greater Houston and surrounding areas without power in it's wake.

As Hurricanes go, Ike was a major player in the 2008 Hurricane Season arriving just at the onset of the most active part of the annual season. Hurricane Ike was a major event in The Woodlands in 2008. We at the TheWoodlandsEvents.com are relieved to report that the worst of the hurricane-related damages was the lengthy power outage, a lot of extra water, and a few fallen trees.

Perhaps the most visual evidence of the impact of Hurricane Ike on The Woodlands was the utter destruction of the sweeping canvas roofs of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, causing the Center for Performing Arts to cancel the last several shows of their season.

Feel free to peruse our Hurricane Ike pictures - most all of which were taken on September 13, 2008, only hours after Hurricane Ike moved further inland into the mid-eastern states.

Hurricane Ike Pictures - The Woodlands