hurricanesmapped

NORTH ATLANTIC · 2017 SEASON

Hurricane Maria (2017)

Recorded track and intensity · 16 Sept 2017–2 Oct 2017

PEAK INTENSITYCategory 5
THE COMPLETE TRACKOpen in the explorer
MARIA: complete recorded track, 16 Sept 2017–2 Oct 2017Recorded track from 16 Sept 2017 to 2 Oct 2017. Colors show the recorded wind category. The highlighted position follows the replay controls.CUBAAtlantic Ocean17 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 UTC28 Sep, 00:00 UTC29 Sep, 00:00 UTC30 Sep, 00:00 UTC1 Oct, 00:00 UTC2 Oct, 00:00 UTCPeak · Category 516 SEP2 OCT

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

Wind speed & pressure

20 Sep, 00:00 UTC
Wind speed 150 ktPressure 909 hPa
0900809601601020kthPa16 Sep21 Sep27 Sep2 Oct

Forward speed & ACE

20 Sep, 00:00 UTC
Forward speed 9 ktCumulative ACE 15.10 10⁴ kt²
002022.54045kt10⁴ kt²16 Sep21 Sep27 Sep2 Oct

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 wind150 kt

173 mph / 278 km/h

Minimum recorded pressure908 hPa

20 Sept 2017 · tropical stage

Recorded track duration16 days

Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present

Approximate track distance9,070 km

Along the recorded center positions

STORM HISTORY

Track and intensity summary

Maria is listed in the North Atlantic basin for the 2017 season. Its archived track begins on 16 Sept 2017, 12:00 UTC at 12.2°N, 49.7°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 19 Sept 2017, 00:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 150 knots (173 mph / 278 km/h), first recorded on 20 Sept 2017, 00:00 UTC at 17°N, 64.3°W. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 908 hPa on 20 Sept 2017, 03:00 UTC.

The full record spans 384 hours and approximately 9,070 kilometers along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 48°N, 17°W on 2 Oct 2017, 12:00 UTC. The final tropical-stage observation is earlier, on 30 Sept 2017, 15:00 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