hurricanesmapped

NORTH ATLANTIC · 2023 SEASON

Hurricane Lee (2023)

Recorded track and intensity · 5 Sept 2023–18 Sept 2023

PEAK INTENSITYCategory 5
THE COMPLETE TRACKOpen in the explorer
LEE: complete recorded track, 5 Sept 2023–18 Sept 2023Recorded track from 5 Sept 2023 to 18 Sept 2023. 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 UTCPeak · Category 55 SEP18 SEP

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

Wind speed & pressure

8 Sep, 06:00 UTC
Wind speed 145 ktPressure 926 hPa
0920809701601020kthPa5 Sep9 Sep14 Sep18 Sep

Forward speed & ACE

8 Sep, 06:00 UTC
Forward speed 12 ktCumulative ACE 8.21 10⁴ kt²
0025205040kt10⁴ kt²5 Sep9 Sep14 Sep18 Sep

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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 pressure926 hPa

8 Sept 2023 · tropical stage

Recorded track duration13.25 days

Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present

Approximate track distance7,530 km

Along the recorded center positions

STORM HISTORY

Track and intensity summary

Lee is listed in the North Atlantic basin for the 2023 season. Its archived track begins on 5 Sept 2023, 12:00 UTC at 12.2°N, 39.6°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 8 Sept 2023, 03:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 145 knots (167 mph / 269 km/h), first recorded on 8 Sept 2023, 06:00 UTC at 17.5°N, 53°W. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 926 hPa on 8 Sept 2023, 06:00 UTC.

The full record spans 318 hours and approximately 7,530 kilometers along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 53°N, 42°W on 18 Sept 2023, 18:00 UTC. The final tropical-stage observation is earlier, on 16 Sept 2023, 03:00 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