NORTH ATLANTIC · 1971 SEASON

Hurricane Edith (1971)

Recorded track and intensity · 5 Sept 1971–18 Sept 1971

PEAK INTENSITYCategory 5
THE COMPLETE TRACKOpen in the explorer
EDITH: complete recorded track, 5 Sept 1971–18 Sept 1971Recorded track from 5 Sept 1971 to 18 Sept 1971. Colors show the recorded wind category. The highlighted position follows the replay controls.CUBA6 Sep, 00:00 UTC7 Sep, 00:00 UTC8 Sep, 00:00 UTC9 Sep, 00:00 UTC10 Sep, 00:00 UTC11 Sep, 00:00 UTC12 Sep, 00:00 UTC13 Sep, 00:00 UTC14 Sep, 00:00 UTC15 Sep, 00:00 UTC16 Sep, 00:00 UTC17 Sep, 00:00 UTC18 Sep, 00:00 UTCPeak · Category 55 SEP18 SEP

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

Wind speed & pressure

9 Sep, 18:00 UTC
Wind speed 140 ktPressure 943 hPa
0940809801601020kthPa5 Sep9 Sep14 Sep18 Sep

Forward speed & ACE

9 Sep, 18:00 UTC
Forward speed 11 ktCumulative ACE 7.41 10⁴ kt²
0010102020kt10⁴ kt²5 Sep9 Sep14 Sep18 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 pressure943 hPa

9 Sept 1971 · tropical stage

Recorded track duration12.5 days

Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present

Approximate track distance6,400 km

Along the recorded center positions

STORM HISTORY

Track and intensity summary

Edith is listed in the North Atlantic basin for the 1971 season. Its archived track begins on 5 Sept 1971, 18:00 UTC at 11.4°N, 58°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 9 Sept 1971, 18:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 140 knots (161 mph / 259 km/h), first recorded on 9 Sept 1971, 18:00 UTC at 14.8°N, 83.2°W. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 943 hPa on 9 Sept 1971, 18:00 UTC.

The full record spans 300 hours and approximately 6,400 kilometers along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 34°N, 84.7°W on 18 Sept 1971, 06:00 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