Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · May 16–24, 1951
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
Hurricane Able (1951) was a Category 1 hurricane of the 1951 Atlantic season. It formed on May 16, 1951, reached its peak of 92 mph (148 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 973 mb on May 22, 1951, and made landfall 26 mi WNW of Cooper’s Town, Bahamas on May 18, 1951 as a Category 1 hurricane (86 mph). It rapidly intensified by 41 mph in 24 hours (to 81 mph on May 17, 1951). The storm lasted 8.8 days and travelled about 2,468 miles (3,970 km).
02 · Intensity
03 · Impact
| Landfall (UTC) | Where | Strength | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 1951 · 12:00 UTC | 26 mi WNW of Cooper’s Town, Bahamas | Cat 1 86 mph | 982 mb |
04 · Timeline
| Date · UTC | Status | Wind | Pressure | Position | Nearest place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16 00:00 | TD | 35 mph | — | 32.0°N 68.0°W | open ocean |
| May 16 06:00 | TD | 35 mph | — | 31.9°N 70.8°W | open ocean |
| May 16 12:00 | TS | 40 mph | — | 31.6°N 73.8°W | open ocean |
| May 16 18:00 | TS | 40 mph | — | 30.6°N 76.4°W | open ocean |
| May 17 00:00 | TS | 52 mph | — | 29.4°N 77.5°W | open ocean |
| May 17 06:00 | TS | 63 mph | — | 28.8°N 78.4°W | 143 mi ENE of Palm Bay, Florida |
| May 17 12:00 | Cat 1 | 75 mph | — | 28.2°N 78.8°W | 107 mi ENE of Fort Pierce, Florida |
| May 17 18:00 | Cat 1 | 81 mph | 983 mb | 27.5°N 78.9°W | 56 mi N of West End, Bahamas |
| May 18 00:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | — | 27.1°N 78.6°W | 39 mi N of Lucaya, Bahamas |
| May 18 06:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | — | 26.9°N 78.3°W | 34 mi NE of Lucaya, Bahamas |
| May 18 12:00 | Cat 1 LANDFALL | 86 mph | 982 mb | 27.0°N 77.9°W | 57 mi NE of Lucaya, Bahamas |
| May 18 18:00 | Cat 1 | 81 mph | 985 mb | 27.2°N 77.5°W | 85 mi ENE of Lucaya, Bahamas |
| May 19 00:00 | Cat 1 | 81 mph | — | 27.4°N 77.2°W | 108 mi NE of Lucaya, Bahamas |
| May 19 06:00 | Cat 1 | 81 mph | — | 27.7°N 76.9°W | 135 mi NE of Lucaya, Bahamas |
| May 19 12:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | 982 mb | 28.1°N 76.6°W | 167 mi NE of Lucaya, Bahamas |
| May 19 18:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | — | 28.7°N 76.3°W | open ocean |
| May 20 00:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | 980 mb | 29.5°N 76.0°W | open ocean |
| May 20 06:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | — | 30.5°N 75.7°W | open ocean |
| May 20 12:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | — | 31.4°N 75.4°W | open ocean |
| May 20 18:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | 979 mb | 32.4°N 75.2°W | open ocean |
| May 21 00:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | — | 33.5°N 75.0°W | 145 mi SE of Havelock, North Carolina |
| May 21 06:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | — | 34.7°N 74.6°W | 131 mi E of Havelock, North Carolina |
| May 21 12:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | 978 mb | 35.6°N 74.2°W | 132 mi SE of Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| May 21 18:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | 976 mb | 36.1°N 73.8°W | 132 mi ESE of Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| May 22 00:00 | Cat 1 | 92 mph | — | 36.3°N 73.2°W | 159 mi ESE of Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| May 22 06:00 | Cat 1 | 92 mph | — | 36.5°N 72.3°W | open ocean |
| May 22 12:00 | Cat 1 | 92 mph | 973 mb | 36.6°N 71.1°W | open ocean |
| May 22 18:00 | Cat 1 | 92 mph | — | 36.7°N 69.9°W | open ocean |
| May 23 00:00 | Cat 1 | 92 mph | — | 36.8°N 68.7°W | open ocean |
| May 23 06:00 | Cat 1 | 92 mph | — | 37.0°N 67.0°W | open ocean |
| May 23 12:00 | Cat 1 | 86 mph | 984 mb | 37.3°N 65.0°W | open ocean |
| May 23 18:00 | Cat 1 | 75 mph | — | 37.6°N 63.5°W | open ocean |
| May 24 00:00 | TS | 63 mph | — | 38.0°N 62.2°W | open ocean |
| May 24 06:00 | TS | 58 mph | — | 38.7°N 61.2°W | open ocean |
| May 24 12:00 | TS | 52 mph | — | 39.7°N 60.0°W | open ocean |
| May 24 18:00 | TS | 40 mph | 994 mb | 40.5°N 58.7°W | open ocean |
⬇ Download track data (CSV) · public-domain NOAA best track
Questions
Able made landfall once: 26 mi WNW of Cooper’s Town, Bahamas on May 18, 1951 at 12:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds.
At its peak on May 22, 1951, Able was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 92 mph (148 km/h) and a central pressure of 973 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 1 hurricane.
8.8 days, from May 16, 1951 to May 24, 1951, including 156 hours at hurricane strength. It travelled about 2,468 miles.
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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