Houston, TX – September 13 holds unique significance in Texas weather history, marking the anniversaries of two hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast one year apart: Hurricane Humberto in 2007 and Hurricane Ike in 2008.
According to the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston office, Hurricane Humberto made landfall near High Island, TX, as a Category 1 storm with sustained winds near 90 mph on September 13, 2007. Remarkably, Humberto intensified from a tropical depression into a hurricane in just 19 hours, one of the fastest strengthening rates on record before landfall. The storm caused an estimated $50 million in damage and led to one fatality in Texas.
Exactly one year later, on September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike made landfall along Galveston Island as a strong Category 2 hurricane. Ike originated near the Cape Verde Islands and had earlier reached Category 4 strength with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph before weakening over the Gulf of Mexico. At landfall, winds were measured at 95–105 mph, with a central pressure of 950 mb. The storm surge exceeded 15 feet over parts of the Bolivar Peninsula, leading to catastrophic destruction across coastal communities and widespread flooding in the Houston area…