Hurricane Ike — 2008
Ike approached Texas as an unusually large hurricane and made landfall near Galveston early on September 13 as a Category 2 hurricane. Its size drove a destructive storm surge across the upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts while hurricane-force winds extended well inland.
Where this record is anchored
Reference points identify the Galveston landfall area, Bolivar Peninsula, and inland Houston region. They are not the wind or surge footprint.
A defining Texas disaster record
Ike demonstrated that the Saffir-Simpson category does not describe every hazard. Despite a Category 2 landfall, its broad wind field generated a major surge around Bolivar Peninsula, Galveston Bay, and adjacent coastal areas.
What happened
Condensed from the official records linked below.
- Large hurricane approaches
Ike crossed the northwestern Gulf with a very large tropical-storm-force wind field and increasing coastal surge.
- Galveston-area landfall
Ike made landfall near Galveston at 2:10 a.m. CDT as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.
- Surge and winds spread inland
Destructive surge affected the upper Texas coast while hurricane-force winds reached the Houston area and portions of East Texas.
- Official analyses assembled
NWS and NHC produced separate wind, rainfall, inundation, and tropical-cyclone analyses documenting the event.
What this record does—and does not—show
The point map does not represent inundation depth, wind swath, or building-level damage. Hurricane category describes maximum sustained wind near the center, not storm surge severity.