1979 North Atlantic hurricane season
Hurricane David 1979
Hurricane David devastated Dominica and the Dominican Republic in 1979 before continuing toward the United States. Its winds destroyed homes and crops, while flooding isolated communities across the hardest-hit Caribbean islands.
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173 mph
Aug 30, 1979 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Destruction in the Caribbean
David formed over the tropical Atlantic on 25 August and strengthened on its westward approach to the Caribbean. On Dominica, its winds damaged or destroyed about 80 percent of homes and ruined much of the island's agriculture, including the banana crop. Fifty-six deaths were reported there.
The archive records peak one-minute winds of 150 kt on 30 August. David struck the Dominican Republic the following day at Category 5 strength. Entire villages were destroyed, roads were cut and more than 200,000 people were left homeless. The country suffered the great majority of David's deaths.
A later passage along the United States
After crossing Hispaniola, David continued through the Bahamas toward Florida in a weakened state. Strong winds damaged buildings and equipment, and the storm spawned tornadoes. Flooding and additional tornadoes affected states farther north along its route.
Fifteen deaths and about US$320 million in damage at 1979 values were reported in the United States. Across its full path, David's reported death toll reached 2,078. The archived track extends through 8 September, after the storm had lost its tropical character.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
David in brief
What was Hurricane David's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 30, 1979, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Hurricane David?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 30, 1979, 06:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane David's lowest pressure?
924 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 30, 1979, 12:00 PM UTC.
When did Hurricane David occur?
The archived track runs from Aug 25, 1979, 12:00 PM UTC to Sep 8, 1979, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 25, 1979, 12:00 PM UTC to Sep 6, 1979, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Hurricane David form?
In the North Atlantic basin, in the 1979 season. Its first archived position is 11.7°N, 36.1°W on Aug 25, 1979, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Hurricane David make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 5 recorded positions; the strongest is 161 mph on Aug 31, 1979, 09:00 PM 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