Hurricane Alicia (1983)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · August 15–21, 1983

Peak wind
115 mph
185 km/h · Aug 18
Peak category
Cat 3
Saffir–Simpson
Lowest pressure
962 mb
Landfalls
1
Texas
Lifetime
5.8 d
Aug 15 – Aug 21
Distance
1,278 mi
2,057 km
ACE
6.4
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 Alicia

Hurricane Alicia (1983) was a Category 3 hurricane of the 1983 Atlantic season. It formed on August 15, 1983, 159 mi S of Houma, Louisiana, reached its peak of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 962 mb on August 18, 1983, and made landfall 21 mi ENE of Lake Jackson, Texas on August 18, 1983 as a Category 3 hurricane (115 mph). It rapidly intensified by 35 mph in 24 hours (to 104 mph on August 17, 1983). The storm lasted 5.8 days and travelled about 1,278 miles (2,057 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)WhereStrengthPressure
August 18, 1983 · 07:00 UTC21 mi ENE of Lake Jackson, TexasCat 3 115 mph962 mb

Closest approach to major cities

CityDistance to centerWhen (UTC)Storm strength then
Houston, Texasdirect hitAug 18 · 12:00 UTCCat 1 92 mph
Cypress, Texasdirect hitAug 18 · 14:00 UTCCat 1 77 mph
Dallas, Texas43 miAug 19 · 07:00 UTCTD 34 mph
Fort Worth, Texas16 miAug 19 · 07:00 UTCTD 34 mph
Arlington, Texas26 miAug 19 · 07:00 UTCTD 34 mph
Plano, Texas57 miAug 19 · 07:00 UTCTD 34 mph
Garland, Texas56 miAug 19 · 07:00 UTCTD 34 mph
Irving, Texas37 miAug 19 · 07:00 UTCTD 34 mph
Lincoln, Nebraska30 miAug 21 · 05:00 UTCTD 23 mph
Omaha, Nebraska55 miAug 21 · 06:00 UTCTD 23 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 25 positions

Date · UTCStatusWindPressurePositionNearest place
Aug 15 12:00TD 35 mph1009 mb27.3°N 90.5°W159 mi S of Houma, Louisiana
Aug 15 18:00TS 46 mph1006 mb27.2°N 91.0°W166 mi S of Houma, Louisiana
Aug 16 00:00TS 52 mph1005 mb27.1°N 91.5°W179 mi SSW of Houma, Louisiana
Aug 16 06:00TS 58 mph1004 mb27.0°N 92.0°Wopen ocean
Aug 16 12:00TS 63 mph1002 mb27.1°N 92.4°Wopen ocean
Aug 16 18:00TS 69 mph998 mb27.3°N 92.8°W184 mi SE of Galveston, Texas
Aug 17 00:00Cat 1 75 mph991 mb27.4°N 93.3°W160 mi SE of Galveston, Texas
Aug 17 06:00Cat 1 81 mph987 mb27.7°N 93.7°W129 mi SSE of Galveston, Texas
Aug 17 12:00Cat 1 86 mph983 mb27.9°N 94.2°W103 mi SSE of Galveston, Texas
Aug 17 18:00Cat 2 104 mph974 mb28.1°N 94.5°W79 mi SE of Freeport, Texas
Aug 18 00:00Cat 2 109 mph969 mb28.4°N 94.8°W51 mi SE of Freeport, Texas
Aug 18 06:00Cat 3 115 mph963 mb28.9°N 95.0°W22 mi E of Freeport, Texas
Aug 18 07:00Cat 3 LANDFALL 115 mph962 mb29.1°N 95.1°W21 mi ENE of Lake Jackson, Texas
Aug 18 12:00Cat 1 92 mph965 mb29.7°N 95.5°Wnear Houston, Texas
Aug 18 18:00TS 46 mph990 mb30.5°N 96.0°W22 mi ESE of College Station, Texas
Aug 19 00:00TS 40 mph998 mb31.5°N 96.7°W27 mi E of Waco, Texas
Aug 19 06:00TD 35 mph1003 mb32.4°N 97.4°Wnear Cleburne, Texas
Aug 19 12:00TD 29 mph1006 mb33.3°N 98.0°W35 mi N of Mineral Wells, Texas
Aug 19 18:00TD 29 mph1009 mb34.4°N 98.5°W16 mi SSW of Lawton, Oklahoma
Aug 20 00:00TD 23 mph1010 mb35.4°N 99.0°W19 mi WSW of Weatherford, Oklahoma
Aug 20 06:00TD extratropical23 mph1011 mb36.5°N 99.4°Wnear Woodward, Oklahoma
Aug 20 12:00TD extratropical23 mph1011 mb37.6°N 99.2°W46 mi ESE of Dodge City, Kansas
Aug 20 18:00TD extratropical23 mph1011 mb38.9°N 99.0°W18 mi E of Hays, Kansas
Aug 21 00:00TD extratropical23 mph1010 mb40.0°N 98.0°W45 mi SSE of Hastings, Nebraska
Aug 21 06:00TD extratropical23 mph1010 mb41.2°N 97.0°W25 mi SE of Columbus, Nebraska

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Alicia make landfall?

Alicia made landfall once: 21 mi ENE of Lake Jackson, Texas on August 18, 1983 at 07:00 UTC, as a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds.

What category was Alicia?

At its peak on August 18, 1983, Alicia was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a central pressure of 962 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 3 hurricane.

How long did Alicia last?

5.8 days, from August 15, 1983 to August 21, 1983, including 42 hours at hurricane strength (6 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 1,278 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Alicia?

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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