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NORTH ATLANTIC · 1961 SEASON

Hurricane Esther (1961)

Recorded track and intensity · 10 Sept 1961–27 Sept 1961

PEAK INTENSITYCategory 5
THE COMPLETE TRACKOpen in the explorer
ESTHER: complete recorded track, 10 Sept 1961–27 Sept 1961Recorded track from 10 Sept 1961 to 27 Sept 1961. Colors show the recorded wind category. The highlighted position follows the replay controls.NORTH AMERICAMEXICOCUBA11 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 UTC19 Sep, 00:00 UTC20 Sep, 00:00 UTC21 Sep, 00:00 UTC22 Sep, 00:00 UTC23 Sep, 00:00 UTC24 Sep, 00:00 UTC25 Sep, 00:00 UTC26 Sep, 00:00 UTC27 Sep, 00:00 UTCPeak · Category 510 SEP27 SEP

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

Wind speed & pressure

17 Sep, 06:00 UTC
Wind speed 140 ktPressure 924 hPa
0900809601601020kthPa10 Sep16 Sep21 Sep27 Sep

Forward speed & ACE

17 Sep, 06:00 UTC
Forward speed 11 ktCumulative ACE 21.95 10⁴ kt²
0015253050kt10⁴ kt²10 Sep16 Sep21 Sep27 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 pressure919 hPa

17 Sept 1961 · tropical stage

Recorded track duration16.75 days

Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present

Approximate track distance8,990 km

Along the recorded center positions

STORM HISTORY

Track and intensity summary

Esther is listed in the North Atlantic basin for the 1961 season. Its archived track begins on 10 Sept 1961, 12:00 UTC at 11.2°N, 31°W. The first observation lists sustained winds of 30 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 17 Sept 1961, 03:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 140 knots (161 mph / 259 km/h), first recorded on 17 Sept 1961, 06:00 UTC at 24.1°N, 63.9°W. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 919 hPa on 17 Sept 1961, 18:00 UTC.

The full record spans 402 hours and approximately 8,990 kilometers along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 50°N, 67°W on 27 Sept 1961, 06:00 UTC. The final tropical-stage observation is earlier, on 26 Sept 1961, 21:00 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