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NORTH ATLANTIC · 2003 SEASON

Hurricane Isabel (2003)

Recorded track and intensity · 6 Sept 2003–20 Sept 2003

PEAK INTENSITYCategory 5
THE COMPLETE TRACKOpen in the explorer
ISABEL: complete recorded track, 6 Sept 2003–20 Sept 2003Recorded track from 6 Sept 2003 to 20 Sept 2003. Colors show the recorded wind category. The highlighted position follows the replay controls.NORTH AMERICAMEXICOCUBA6 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 UTC19 Sep, 00:00 UTC20 Sep, 00:00 UTCPeak · Category 56 SEP20 SEP

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

Wind speed & pressure

11 Sep, 18:00 UTC
Wind speed 145 ktPressure 915 hPa
0900809601601020kthPa6 Sep10 Sep15 Sep20 Sep

Forward speed & ACE

11 Sep, 18:00 UTC
Forward speed 8 ktCumulative ACE 23.55 10⁴ kt²
002532.55065kt10⁴ kt²6 Sep10 Sep15 Sep20 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 wind145 kt

167 mph / 269 km/h

Minimum recorded pressure915 hPa

11 Sept 2003 · tropical stage

Recorded track duration14 days

Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present

Approximate track distance7,150 km

Along the recorded center positions

STORM HISTORY

Track and intensity summary

Isabel is listed in the North Atlantic basin for the 2003 season. Its archived track begins on 6 Sept 2003, 00:00 UTC at 13.8°N, 31.4°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 11 Sept 2003, 15:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 145 knots (167 mph / 269 km/h), first recorded on 11 Sept 2003, 18:00 UTC at 21.5°N, 54.8°W. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 915 hPa on 11 Sept 2003, 18:00 UTC.

The full record spans 336 hours and approximately 7,150 kilometers along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 48°N, 81°W on 20 Sept 2003, 00:00 UTC. The final tropical-stage observation is earlier, on 19 Sept 2003, 09:00 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