1943 Surprise Hurricane

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · July 25–30, 1943

Peak wind

104 mph

167 km/h · Jul 27

Peak category

Cat 2

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

967 mb

Landfalls

Texas

Lifetime

4.3 d

Jul 25 – Jul 30

Distance

767 mi

1,234 km

ACE

5.8

storm energy

TD TS Cat 1 2 3 4 5 · dashed = post-tropical / remnant low. Click any point or table row to jump there.

01 · The story

What happened with 1943 Surprise Hurricane

The 1943 Surprise Hurricane was a Category 2 hurricane of the 1943 Atlantic season. It formed on July 25, 1943, 170 mi S of Pensacola, Florida, reached its peak of 104 mph (167 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 967 mb on July 27, 1943, and made landfall 18 mi NE of Galveston, Texas on July 27, 1943 as a Category 2 hurricane (104 mph). It rapidly intensified by 46 mph in 24 hours (to 104 mph on July 27, 1943). The storm lasted 4.3 days and travelled about 767 miles (1,234 km).

02 · Intensity

Wind and pressure, hour by hour

Maximum sustained wind (mph) — hover or drag to scrub the map

03 · Impact

Landfall and cities in the path

Landfall (UTC)	Where	Strength	Pressure
July 27, 1943 · 18:00 UTC	18 mi NE of Galveston, Texas	Cat 2 104 mph	967 mb

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
Houston, Texas	direct hit	Jul 28 · 03:00 UTC	TS 72 mph
Cypress, Texas	direct hit	Jul 28 · 07:00 UTC	TS 56 mph
Austin, Texas	71 mi	Jul 29 · 00:00 UTC	TS 40 mph
Dallas, Texas	55 mi	Jul 29 · 17:00 UTC	TD 30 mph
Arlington, Texas	38 mi	Jul 29 · 18:00 UTC	TD 29 mph
Garland, Texas	68 mi	Jul 29 · 18:00 UTC	TD 29 mph
Irving, Texas	49 mi	Jul 29 · 18:00 UTC	TD 29 mph
Grand Prairie, Texas	44 mi	Jul 29 · 18:00 UTC	TD 29 mph
Fort Worth, Texas	27 mi	Jul 29 · 19:00 UTC	TD 29 mph
Plano, Texas	68 mi	Jul 29 · 19:00 UTC	TD 29 mph

Distance from the city to the storm’s center, interpolated hourly between official fixes. Damaging winds, surge and rain reach far beyond the center.

04 · Timeline

Every official fix 18 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Jul 25 18:00	TS	40 mph	—	28.0°N 87.7°W	155 mi S of Gulf Shores, Alabama
Jul 26 00:00	TS	52 mph	—	28.1°N 88.9°W	147 mi SSE of New Orleans, Louisiana
Jul 26 06:00	TS	58 mph	—	28.1°N 90.1°W	110 mi SSE of Houma, Louisiana
Jul 26 12:00	TS	69 mph	—	28.2°N 91.1°W	99 mi SSW of Houma, Louisiana
Jul 26 18:00	Cat 1	81 mph	—	28.4°N 92.0°W	102 mi SSW of Morgan City, Louisiana
Jul 27 00:00	Cat 1	92 mph	—	28.6°N 92.7°W	101 mi SSW of Abbeville, Louisiana
Jul 27 06:00	Cat 2	104 mph	—	28.9°N 93.4°W	76 mi SSE of Port Arthur, Texas
Jul 27 12:00	Cat 2	104 mph	—	29.2°N 94.0°W	47 mi S of Port Arthur, Texas
Jul 27 18:00	Cat 2 LANDFALL	104 mph	967 mb	29.5°N 94.6°W	18 mi NE of Galveston, Texas
Jul 28 00:00	Cat 1	86 mph	975 mb	29.7°N 95.1°W	near Deer Park, Texas
Jul 28 06:00	TS	58 mph	—	29.9°N 95.6°W	near Cypress, Texas
Jul 28 12:00	TS	46 mph	—	30.2°N 96.0°W	24 mi NW of Cypress, Texas
Jul 28 18:00	TS	46 mph	—	30.5°N 96.4°W	10 mi SSW of College Station, Texas
Jul 29 00:00	TS	40 mph	—	30.9°N 96.8°W	30 mi WNW of Bryan, Texas
Jul 29 06:00	TD	35 mph	—	31.4°N 97.1°W	11 mi SSE of Waco, Texas
Jul 29 12:00	TD	35 mph	—	32.0°N 97.4°W	24 mi S of Cleburne, Texas
Jul 29 18:00	TD	29 mph	—	32.5°N 97.7°W	27 mi SW of Fort Worth, Texas
Jul 30 00:00	TD	29 mph	—	33.0°N 98.0°W	15 mi NNE of Mineral Wells, Texas

⬇ Download track data (CSV) · public-domain NOAA best track

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did 1943 Surprise Hurricane make landfall?

1943 Surprise Hurricane made landfall once: 18 mi NE of Galveston, Texas on July 27, 1943 at 18:00 UTC, as a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds.

What category was 1943 Surprise Hurricane?

At its peak on July 27, 1943, 1943 Surprise Hurricane was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 104 mph (167 km/h) and a central pressure of 967 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 2 hurricane.

How long did 1943 Surprise Hurricane last?

4.3 days, from July 25, 1943 to July 30, 1943, including 36 hours at hurricane strength. It travelled about 767 miles.

Where can I download the track data for 1943 Surprise Hurricane?

The 6-hourly positions, winds, pressure and wind radii are available as CSV on this page (track.csv) — they come from the NOAA National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database and are in the public domain.

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