Episode 3288
Hurricane Joaquin
Wed, 2026-May-06 00:55 UTC
Length - 3:49
Direct Link
Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.
The featured article for Wednesday, 6 May 2026, is Hurricane Joaquin.
Hurricane Joaquin ( hwah-KEEN; Spanish: Huracán Joaquín [uɾaˈkaŋ xoaˈkin]) was a powerful tropical cyclone that devastated several districts of the Bahamas in early October 2015. It was also the strongest Atlantic hurricane of non-tropical origin recorded in the satellite era. The tenth named storm, third hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season, Joaquin evolved from a non-tropical low to a tropical depression on September 28, well southwest of Bermuda. The depression drifted towards the southwest and became a tropical storm the next day. Joaquin then underwent rapid intensification, becoming a Category 4 major hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale on October 1. Meandering over the southern Bahamas, Joaquin's eye passed near or over several islands. On October 3, the hurricane weakened somewhat and began moving northeastwards. Abrupt re-intensification ensued later that day, and Joaquin acquired sustained winds of 155 mph (250 km/h), just below Category 5 strength.
Joaquin was one of the strongest hurricanes to affect the Bahamas on record. Hurricane warnings were issued for most of the Bahamas before Joaquin reached the country's southern islands. Between October 1 and 3, Joaquin caused extensive damage on Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador Island. Severe storm surge inundated many communities, trapping hundreds of people in their homes; flooding persisted for days after the hurricane's departure. Prolonged, intense winds brought down trees and power lines, and unroofed homes. Relief efforts in the wake of Joaquin were hampered by heavy damage to airstrips and flooded roads. Offshore, the American cargo ship El Faro and her 33 crew members were lost to the hurricane.
Coastal flooding impacted the nearby Turks and Caicos Islands, washing out roadways, compromising seawalls, and damaging homes. Strong winds and heavy rainfall caused some property damage in eastern Cuba. In Haiti, storm tides resulted in severe flooding in several departments, forcing families from their homes and destroying crops, while large waves killed a fisherman at sea. Over the Southeastern United States, a separate storm system drew tremendous moisture from the hurricane, leading to catastrophic flooding in South Carolina. A weakened Joaquin passed just west of Bermuda on October 4, bringing strong winds that caused power outages but only minor damage. Afterwards, the hurricane accelerated eastwards into colder waters, weakening further and becoming extratropical on October 8. Its remnants reached Portugal before dissipating a week later. Across its lifetime, Joaquin killed 34 people and caused US$120 million in damage.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:55 UTC on Wednesday, 6 May 2026.
For the full current version of the article, see Hurricane Joaquin on Wikipedia.
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Until next time, I'm generative Danielle.
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