Map plotting the track and intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Hurricane Lisa was the longest-lived hurricane since Hurricane Jose in 2017 and the third Category-Five hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Hurricane Lisa was also the fifteenth depression, twelfth storm, eighth hurricane, and fourth major hurricane of the very hyperactive 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season. This also happened to mark the first and then only time other than the 2005 season that the Atlantic basin had produced more than two Category-Five hurricanes in the same season.
The storm lasted formed on October 10 and would last for 19 days before it dissipated over Scotland during the late hours of October 29. Hurricane Lisa would be the second major hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season to affect Cuba and it would not be the last. Thankfully a high-pressure system over Cuba and another one just south of Bermuda would keep it off of any major landmass. However, the storm would still hit a populated area as it would make landfall on Scotland with very low Category-Two strength becoming the first hurricane to make landfall in Northern Europe above Category-One strength since Hurricane Faith 56-years earlier in 1966.
Hurricane Lisa would go on to cause $12.8-Billion in damages $9-Billion of which would be in Cuba another $1-Billion to The Bahamas, and $2.3-Billion to Scotland. This would make it one of the most costly Atlantic hurricanes in European history. It was also the second storm of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season to have produced over 60 Accumulated Cyclonic Energy (ACE). Marking the first time in history that a single hurricane season ever produced two seperate storms both with over 60 ACE. Hurricane Lisa was also one of only a handfew of hurricanes to maintain tropical characteristics when it hit the Azores, and the only Major Hurricane to hit the Azores just barely maintaining Category Three strength by the time that it made landfall over the Azore Islands.
Meteorological History[]
A slow-moving tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa during the late hours of October 8 and became a disorganized cluster of thunderstorms until October 10 at around 2 am when a tropical depression formed with 25-mph winds gusting to 30-mph with a central pressure of 1008mb. However, very favorable conditions around the Cape Verde Islands helped the cluster of thunderstorms form into a tropical depression around 1 am on October 10 that was then named Tropical Depression Fifteen.
Tropical Depression Fifteen continued to organize its cluster of thunderstorms and become stronger until around 6:30 am on October 11, when its winds were reported to have risen to 40-mph while gusting to 45-mph with a central pressure of 1004mb becoming Tropical Storm Lisa. Tropical Storm Lisa continued to move slowly over the warm waters of the low-mid latitude Atlantic Ocean, and with little wind shear in its path, the storm continued to strengthen. Tropical Storm Lisa would continue to rapidly strengthen eventually becoming a hurricane by 8 am on October 12 with 75-mph winds gusting to 90-mph and a central pressure of 996mb becoming Hurricane Lisa which would then be another Category-One Hurricane out over the open Atlantic basin.
The newly formed, newly named Hurricane Lisa would continue to slowly strengthen as it made its way across the Atlantic becoming a Category-Two hurricane by 8 am on October 13 with winds of 100-mph gusting to 125-mph and a central pressure of 972mb, then becoming a Category-Three hurricane on October 14 around 12:30 am with winds of 115-mph gusting to 140-mph with a central pressure of 957mb making it the fourth major hurricane of the season. However, the storm was still strengthening as it would continue to gain windspeed and decrease pressure becoming a Category Four storm by 6:30 am on October 15 with winds of 135-mph gusting to 170-mph and a central low pressure of 937mb and finally becoming the third and final Category-Five hurricane of the season at 4:45 am on October 16 with 160-mph winds gusting to 190-mph and a central pressure of 926mb, although it would have trouble at first maintaining Category-Five strength.
Hurricane Lisa did make landfall on Martinique bringing with it winds of 160-mph gusting to 195-mph and a central pressure of 922mb and although the landfall on Martinique would weaken the storm down to a Category-Four with 155-mph winds gusting to 180-mph and a central pressure of 925mb it would eventually have some inner-turbulence weakening it. The storm after the first landfall had some trouble eventually with its winds weakening down to 150-mph for 18 hours and its central pressure decreasing to 931mb however, after 2 pm on October 17 the storm started to gradually restrengthen. Hurricane Lisa once again became a Category-Five storm at 5 pm on October 18 with 160-mph winds gusting to 185-mph and a central low pressure of 920mb meaning that now the storm was stronger than ever and continuing to strengthen. It would eventually reach its peak winds of 165-mph at 4 pm on October 19 and would maintain that wind speed for 29 hours until 2 am on October 21 when it made its first landfall on Eastern Cuba. The storm would reach its lowest pressure of 915mb at 4 am on October 20 and maintain that pressure until 2 pm that same day meaning it had maintained its peak strength for eight hours and maintained Category-Five status for 45 hours.
Although Hurricane Lisa would lose its Category Five status once again after brushing the southwestern end of Haiti, an area that had already been devastated by Hurricane Julia just over a week earlier, it would soon start to restrengthen before it would make landfall onto Southeastern Cuba. While traveling over the hilly region of southeastern-Cuba the storm would gradually weaken back to a Category-Four storm with 145-mph winds gusting to 185-mph and a central low pressure of 935mb, before regaining its strength back.
Hurricane Lisa would once again become a Category-Five hurricane just after midnight on October 22 and eventually peak in windspeed again around 5 pm that at 165-mph. The next day around 11 am the storm reached its peak strength again with 165-mph winds gusting to 200-mph and a central pressure of 915mb. Although once over cooler waters it would begin to move faster increasing its speed from 3-mph to 45-mph. The storm would eventually lose its Category-Five status around 5 am on October 24 after maintaining it for another 47 hours straight. The storm would continue to move rapidly increasing its speed from 3-mph to eventually 40-mph, this would help the storm greatly in maintaining its strength as it moved out over open more colder water. The storm eventually lost its Category-Four status on October 26 around 1:30-pm when its winds dropped below 130-mph gusting to 160-mph and a central pressure of 953mb becoming a Category-Three storm. Eventually around 4:30 pm on October 27 the storm would make landfall over the Azores Island where it would lose its Category-Three status as by 8 pm that day the storm would have 110-mph winds with gusts up to 140-mph and a central low pressure of 963mb. Marking the first time in history that a major hurricane had hit the Azores at almost 39-degrees latitude north. The storm would eventually be a very low-end Category-Two hurricane by the time it made landfall over western Scotland where it would rapidly lose strength and moisture over the Scotish Highlands and become extra-tropical before dying out in Norway.
Preparations[]
Cuba[]
Preparations in Cuba began with the evacuation of coastal areas and towns in the southeastern section of the island nation and having them move either more inland or to the west of the country. Approximately four provinces in Cuba had to be evacuated: Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, and Holguin when combined meant that just above 3,500,000 people in an 11,557-square mile area had to be either evacuated, moved inland to higher ground, or pushed west.
The Bahamas[]
The Bahamas had to evacuate 25% of its population to the more northern islands as the storm approached turning eastward after leaving Eastern Cuba.
Ireland[]
The coastal regions of the entire northern coast of Ireland had to prepare for the arrival of the storm and many windows had to be boarded up in case of high winds.
Scotland[]
Impacts[]
Cuba[]
In Cuba, when the storm his on the early-morning hours of October 21 it brought with it winds of 165-mph gusting to 200-mph and a storm surge as high as 21.2-feet at the Guantonomo Bay Detention Center which recieved the brunt of Lisa's impact.