NORTH ATLANTIC · 2005 SEASON
Hurricane Katrina (2005)
Recorded track, intensity and landfalls · 23 Aug 2005–31 Aug 2005
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Wind speed & pressure
28 Aug, 18:00 UTCForward speed & ACE
28 Aug, 18:00 UTCHover 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.
173 mph / 278 km/h
28 Aug 2005 · tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Track and intensity summary
Katrina’s recorded track begins on 23 Aug, 18:00 UTC in 2005, near 23.1°N, 75.1°W in the Bahamas. The archive initially lists sustained winds of 30 knots. It first records hurricane-strength winds on 25 Aug, 21:00 UTC. The track then crosses southern Florida before continuing into the Gulf of Mexico.
Over the Gulf, Katrina strengthened to Category 5, first recorded at that intensity on 28 Aug, 12:00 UTC. Its highest recorded one-minute sustained wind was 150 knots (173 mph / 278 km/h), reached on 28 Aug, 18:00 UTC. The lowest recorded tropical-stage central pressure was 902 hPa, at 28 Aug, 18:00 UTC. These are lifetime peak measurements; they do not describe the conditions at every point along the coast.
The National Hurricane Center documents three US landfalls. Katrina crossed southeast Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on 25 August. After reaching its peak over water, it weakened before coming ashore near Buras, Louisiana, and then near the Louisiana–Mississippi border on 29 August. Both Gulf Coast landfalls were Category 3. Read the NHC report ↗
The complete archived path spans 180 hours, or 7.5 days, and approximately 3,400 kilometers. The final tropical observation is at 30 Aug, 21:00 UTC; the record continues through 31 Aug, 06:00 UTC with a post-tropical stage. This distinction matters when comparing lifespan: the full plotted track includes time outside the hurricane phase. Distance follows the recorded center positions and is an estimate of the path traveled, not the area affected by the storm.
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. Landfall details are separately checked against the NHC report. 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 · Landfalls reviewed 11 September 2026
NOAA IBTrACS archive · Field documentation
Sources & methodology