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NORTH ATLANTIC · 1979 SEASON

Hurricane David (1979)

Recorded track and intensity · 25 Aug 1979–8 Sept 1979

PEAK INTENSITYCategory 5
THE COMPLETE TRACKOpen in the explorer
DAVID: complete recorded track, 25 Aug 1979–8 Sept 1979Recorded track from 25 Aug 1979 to 8 Sept 1979. Colors show the recorded wind category. The highlighted position follows the replay controls.NORTH AMERICAMEXICOAtlantic Ocean26 Aug, 00:00 UTC27 Aug, 00:00 UTC28 Aug, 00:00 UTC29 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 UTCPeak · Category 525 AUG8 SEP

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

Wind speed & pressure

30 Aug, 18:00 UTC
Wind speed 150 ktPressure 924 hPa
0920809701601020kthPa25 Aug30 Aug3 Sep8 Sep

Forward speed & ACE

30 Aug, 18:00 UTC
Forward speed 10 ktCumulative ACE 22.90 10⁴ kt²
002022.54045kt10⁴ kt²25 Aug30 Aug3 Sep8 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 wind150 kt

173 mph / 278 km/h

Minimum recorded pressure924 hPa

30 Aug 1979 · tropical stage

Recorded track duration13.5 days

Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present

Approximate track distance9,260 km

Along the recorded center positions

STORM HISTORY

Track and intensity summary

David is listed in the North Atlantic basin for the 1979 season. Its archived track begins on 25 Aug 1979, 12:00 UTC at 11.7°N, 36.1°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 30 Aug 1979, 06:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 150 knots (173 mph / 278 km/h), first recorded on 30 Aug 1979, 18:00 UTC at 16.6°N, 66.2°W. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 924 hPa on 30 Aug 1979, 12:00 UTC.

The full record spans 324 hours and approximately 9,260 kilometers along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 52.5°N, 52.5°W on 8 Sept 1979, 00:00 UTC. The final tropical-stage observation is earlier, on 6 Sept 1979, 15:00 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