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NORTH ATLANTIC · 1953 SEASON

Hurricane Carol (1953)

Recorded track and intensity · 28 Aug 1953–9 Sept 1953

PEAK INTENSITYCategory 5
THE COMPLETE TRACKOpen in the explorer
CAROL: complete recorded track, 28 Aug 1953–9 Sept 1953Recorded track from 28 Aug 1953 to 9 Sept 1953. Colors show the recorded wind category. The highlighted position follows the replay controls.NORTH AMERICAAFRICAMEXICOCUBA29 Aug, 00:00 UTC30 Aug, 00:00 UTC31 Aug, 00:00 UTC1 Sep, 00:00 UTC2 Sep, 00:00 UTC3 Sep, 00:00 UTC4 Sep, 00:00 UTC5 Sep, 00:00 UTC6 Sep, 00:00 UTC7 Sep, 00:00 UTC8 Sep, 00:00 UTC9 Sep, 00:00 UTCPeak · Category 528 AUG9 SEP

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DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
All times UTC

Wind speed & pressure

3 Sep, 12:00 UTC
Wind speed 140 ktPressure Not recorded
092080950160980kthPa28 Aug1 Sep5 Sep9 Sep

Forward speed & ACE

3 Sep, 12:00 UTC
Forward speed 16 ktCumulative ACE 13.52 10⁴ kt²
002017.54035kt10⁴ kt²28 Aug1 Sep5 Sep9 Sep

Hover or tap either graph to follow the track. The slider controls both graphs. Each line uses its matching colored axis.

Forward speed measures the center’s motion. ACE accumulates squared one-minute winds at 00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC during tropical or subtropical stages at 34 kt or above. Missing measurements remain gaps.

Maximum sustained wind140 kt

161 mph / 259 km/h

Minimum recorded pressure929 hPa

3 Sept 1953 · tropical stage

Recorded track duration12.25 days

Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present

Approximate track distance9,670 km

Along the recorded center positions

STORM HISTORY

Track and intensity summary

Carol is listed in the North Atlantic basin for the 1953 season. Its archived track begins on 28 Aug 1953, 06:00 UTC at 14°N, 20.5°W. The first observation lists sustained winds of 25 knots. These dates describe the available observations, which may include stages before and after the tropical cyclone phase.

The first Category 5 observation appears on 3 Sept 1953, 09:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 140 knots (161 mph / 259 km/h), first recorded on 3 Sept 1953, 12:00 UTC at 19.1°N, 58.7°W. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 929 hPa on 3 Sept 1953, 18:00 UTC.

The full record spans 294 hours and approximately 9,670 kilometers along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 61.8°N, 52°W on 9 Sept 1953, 12:00 UTC. The final tropical-stage observation is earlier, on 8 Sept 1953, 03:00 UTC.

This summary is calculated from the NOAA IBTrACS archive. Category 5 describes the storm’s peak recorded wind intensity, not its intensity at landfall or the severity of impacts at any location. Landfall times, damage and casualties have not been independently reviewed for this page.

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 · Field documentation

Sources & methodology

Browse all Category 5 storm pages