1961 North Atlantic hurricane season
Hurricane Esther 1961
Hurricane Esther became the first hurricane discovered through satellite imagery in September 1961. After reaching Category 5 strength over the Atlantic, it approached New England, turned away and completed a broad offshore loop. It returned as a tropical storm to cross Cape Cod and Maine.
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161 mph
Sep 17, 1961 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A hurricane discovered from space
A weather satellite detected the developing system southwest of Cape Verde on 10 September. Reconnaissance aircraft later found hurricane-force winds, and forecasters began issuing warnings. Esther moved west-northwest across the Atlantic, strengthening into a major hurricane.
The current archive records peak one-minute sustained winds of 140 kt on 17 September and a minimum pressure of 919 hPa later that day. Esther then turned toward the U.S. East Coast before curving north-northeast offshore.
An offshore loop and a return to land
Esther weakened near New England and turned east over cooler water. It completed a large loop south of the region, then moved north again. On 26 September, the tropical storm crossed Cape Cod and reached southeastern Maine before continuing into Quebec.
Wind, rain and coastal disruption
Strong winds damaged crops and cut power to more than 300,000 customers in New York. Coastal flooding damaged boats, and heavy rain flooded basements and low roads in Massachusetts. Total damage was about US$6 million in 1961 dollars. Seven indirect deaths occurred in a U.S. Navy aircraft crash north of Bermuda.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Esther in brief
What was Hurricane Esther's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Sep 17, 1961, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Hurricane Esther?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Sep 17, 1961, 03:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane Esther's lowest pressure?
919 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Sep 17, 1961, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Hurricane Esther occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 10, 1961, 12:00 PM UTC to Sep 27, 1961, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 10, 1961, 12:00 PM UTC to Sep 26, 1961, 09:00 PM UTC.
Where did Hurricane Esther form?
In the North Atlantic basin, in the 1961 season. Its first archived position is 11.2°N, 31°W on Sep 10, 1961, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Hurricane Esther make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 58 mph on Sep 26, 1961, 06:00 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