1980 North Atlantic hurricane season
Hurricane Allen 1980
Hurricane Allen reached Category 5 strength three times during its 1980 journey across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Its center avoided most islands, but its large circulation caused devastating effects before a weakened landfall in South Texas.
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190 mph
Aug 7, 1980 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Repeated intensification in the Caribbean
Allen developed from an African tropical wave and moved quickly west across the Atlantic. It entered the Caribbean near Saint Lucia and reached its first Category 5 peak on 5 August. The storm then weakened during an eyewall replacement cycle and interaction with Hispaniola's terrain.
Further strengthening over the northwestern Caribbean produced Allen's greatest intensity on 7 August: archived one-minute winds of 165 kt and a central pressure of 899 hPa. Its large circulation affected Haiti severely even though the center remained offshore.
A third peak before Texas
Allen weakened near the Yucatán Peninsula, then regained Category 5 strength over the Gulf. It slowed and weakened again before reaching the lower Texas coast on 10 August. High winds, surge and heavy rain caused substantial damage in South Texas.
The hurricane rapidly weakened inland and dissipated over northern Mexico the following day. Across its full path, Allen caused at least 281 deaths and an estimated US$1.57 billion in damage at 1980 values. Its name was retired after the season.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Allen in brief
What was Hurricane Allen's highest wind speed?
190 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 7, 1980, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Hurricane Allen?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 5, 1980, 12:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane Allen's lowest pressure?
899 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 7, 1980, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Hurricane Allen occur?
The archived track runs from Jul 31, 1980, 12:00 PM UTC to Aug 11, 1980, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 1, 1980, 12:00 AM UTC to Aug 11, 1980, 06:00 PM UTC.
Where did Hurricane Allen form?
In the North Atlantic basin, in the 1980 season. Its first archived position is 11°N, 30°W on Jul 31, 1980, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Hurricane Allen make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 107 mph on Aug 10, 1980, 09:00 AM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology