Which 1988 hurricane held the Atlantic pressure-intensity record until Wilma surpassed it?

Hurricane Gilbert was the 1988 hurricane that held the Atlantic pressure-intensity record until Hurricane Wilma surpassed it in 2005. Gilbert’s minimum central pressure was measured at 888 millibars.

Gilbert became a Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean during September 1988 and underwent exceptionally rapid intensification. Its very low pressure reflected the extraordinary strength of its circulation, although central pressure and maximum sustained winds are separate measures of intensity.

Gilbert affected Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Mexico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and parts of the United States. It made landfall on Jamaica as a powerful hurricane, then struck Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and later northern Mexico. The storm caused hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars in damage across the region.

Wilma reached 882 millibars in October 2005, breaking Gilbert’s Atlantic record by 6 millibars. Gilbert therefore held the record for 17 years. Hurricane Allen, another exceptionally intense Atlantic storm, reached 899 millibars in 1980 but did not set the record that Gilbert later claimed.