Hurricane Alma (1966)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · June 5–14, 1966

Peak wind

115 mph

185 km/h · Jun 8

Peak category

Cat 3

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

970 mb

Landfalls

Artemisa, Cuba · Isla de la Juventud, Cuba

Lifetime

9.5 d

Jun 5 – Jun 14

Distance

2,315 mi

3,725 km

ACE

13.3

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 Alma

Hurricane Alma (1966) was a Category 3 hurricane of the 1966 Atlantic season. It formed on June 5, 1966, 26 mi E of Iriona, Honduras, reached its peak of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 970 mb on June 8, 1966, and made landfall 3 times — first 27 mi SSW of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba on June 8, 1966 as a Category 2 hurricane (98 mph). Later landfalls: near Artemisa, Artemisa, Cuba on June 8, 1966 as a Category 2 hurricane (104 mph); 24 mi SSE of Tallahassee, Florida on June 9, 1966 as a Category 1 hurricane (86 mph). It rapidly intensified by 40 mph in 24 hours (to 75 mph on June 6, 1966). The storm lasted 9.5 days and travelled about 2,315 miles (3,725 km).

02 · Intensity

Wind and pressure, hour by hour

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

03 · Impact

Landfalls and cities in the path

Landfall (UTC)	Where	Strength	Pressure
June 8, 1966 · 08:00 UTC	27 mi SSW of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba	Cat 2 98 mph	—
June 8, 1966 · 12:00 UTC	near Artemisa, Artemisa, Cuba	Cat 2 104 mph	—
June 9, 1966 · 21:00 UTC	24 mi SSE of Tallahassee, Florida	Cat 1 86 mph	977 mb

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
Havana, Havana, Cuba	22 mi	Jun 8 · 14:00 UTC	Cat 2 107 mph
Cape Coral, Florida	63 mi	Jun 9 · 01:00 UTC	Cat 2 104 mph
Tampa, Florida	65 mi	Jun 9 · 06:00 UTC	Cat 2 104 mph
St. Petersburg, Florida	48 mi	Jun 9 · 06:00 UTC	Cat 2 104 mph
Tallahassee, Florida	16 mi	Jun 9 · 23:00 UTC	Cat 1 75 mph
Savannah, Georgia	direct hit	Jun 10 · 17:00 UTC	TS 46 mph
Providence, Rhode Island	37 mi	Jun 14 · 10:00 UTC	TS 46 mph
Worcester, Massachusetts	68 mi	Jun 14 · 11:00 UTC	TS 46 mph
Boston, Massachusetts	38 mi	Jun 14 · 12:00 UTC	TS 46 mph
South Boston, Massachusetts	36 mi	Jun 14 · 12:00 UTC	TS 46 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 41 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Jun 5 00:00	TD	29 mph	—	16.0°N 84.7°W	22 mi NW of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Jun 5 06:00	TD	29 mph	—	16.1°N 84.8°W	22 mi ENE of Iriona, Honduras
Jun 5 12:00	TD	35 mph	1006 mb	16.3°N 84.8°W	30 mi NE of Iriona, Honduras
Jun 5 18:00	TD	35 mph	—	16.8°N 84.7°W	63 mi NNE of Iriona, Honduras
Jun 6 00:00	TS	40 mph	—	17.3°N 84.6°W	98 mi NNE of Iriona, Honduras
Jun 6 06:00	TS	46 mph	1000 mb	17.6°N 84.4°W	122 mi NNE of Iriona, Honduras
Jun 6 12:00	TS	58 mph	996 mb	18.0°N 84.2°W	152 mi NNE of Iriona, Honduras
Jun 6 18:00	Cat 1	75 mph	990 mb	18.5°N 84.1°W	186 mi WSW of George Town, Cayman Islands
Jun 7 00:00	Cat 1	75 mph	990 mb	18.8°N 84.0°W	175 mi W of George Town, Cayman Islands
Jun 7 06:00	Cat 1	75 mph	986 mb	19.0°N 83.9°W	166 mi W of George Town, Cayman Islands
Jun 7 12:00	Cat 1	81 mph	983 mb	19.3°N 83.9°W	165 mi W of George Town, Cayman Islands
Jun 7 18:00	Cat 1	86 mph	—	19.6°N 83.8°W	158 mi W of West Bay, Cayman Islands
Jun 8 00:00	Cat 1	92 mph	976 mb	20.1°N 83.5°W	131 mi SSW of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Jun 8 06:00	Cat 2	98 mph	—	21.1°N 83.1°W	58 mi SSW of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Jun 8 08:00	Cat 2 LANDFALL	98 mph	—	21.5°N 82.9°W	27 mi SSW of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Jun 8 12:00	Cat 2 LANDFALL	104 mph	—	22.7°N 82.7°W	near Artemisa, Artemisa, Cuba
Jun 8 18:00	Cat 3	115 mph	970 mb	24.4°N 82.7°W	59 mi W of Key West, Florida
Jun 9 00:00	Cat 2	104 mph	974 mb	26.0°N 82.8°W	65 mi SW of Cape Coral, Florida
Jun 9 06:00	Cat 2	104 mph	—	27.5°N 83.4°W	48 mi WSW of St. Petersburg, Florida
Jun 9 12:00	Cat 2	104 mph	970 mb	28.8°N 84.3°W	103 mi WNW of Bayonet Point, Florida
Jun 9 18:00	Cat 1	86 mph	981 mb	29.6°N 84.5°W	59 mi SSW of Tallahassee, Florida
Jun 9 21:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	86 mph	977 mb	30.1°N 84.2°W	24 mi SSE of Tallahassee, Florida
Jun 10 00:00	TS	69 mph	—	30.4°N 84.0°W	17 mi E of Tallahassee, Florida
Jun 10 06:00	TS	52 mph	—	31.1°N 83.0°W	25 mi NE of Valdosta, Georgia
Jun 10 12:00	TS	46 mph	995 mb	31.7°N 82.0°W	26 mi WSW of Hinesville, Georgia
Jun 10 18:00	TS	46 mph	998 mb	32.2°N 80.9°W	near Bluffton, South Carolina
Jun 11 00:00	TS	58 mph	997 mb	32.6°N 79.6°W	20 mi SE of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Jun 11 06:00	TS	63 mph	—	33.1°N 78.1°W	61 mi SE of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Jun 11 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	990 mb	33.7°N 76.7°W	74 mi ESE of Masonboro, North Carolina
Jun 11 18:00	Cat 1	86 mph	—	33.9°N 75.4°W	109 mi SE of Havelock, North Carolina
Jun 12 00:00	Cat 1	86 mph	—	33.8°N 74.2°W	171 mi ESE of Havelock, North Carolina
Jun 12 06:00	Cat 1	81 mph	—	34.3°N 73.5°W	open ocean
Jun 12 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	994 mb	34.9°N 73.3°W	open ocean
Jun 12 18:00	TS	69 mph	—	35.6°N 73.3°W	173 mi ESE of Virginia Beach, Virginia
Jun 13 00:00	TS extratropical	63 mph	—	36.3°N 73.4°W	148 mi ESE of Virginia Beach, Virginia
Jun 13 06:00	TS extratropical	58 mph	—	37.0°N 73.5°W	137 mi E of Virginia Beach, Virginia
Jun 13 12:00	TS extratropical	52 mph	—	37.6°N 73.5°W	106 mi ESE of Ocean Pines, Maryland
Jun 13 18:00	TS extratropical	52 mph	1002 mb	38.2°N 72.9°W	115 mi SE of Atlantic City, New Jersey
Jun 14 00:00	TS extratropical	46 mph	—	39.2°N 72.1°W	115 mi SSE of Mastic Beach, New York
Jun 14 06:00	TS extratropical	46 mph	—	40.6°N 71.4°W	59 mi S of South Kingstown, Rhode Island
Jun 14 12:00	TS extratropical	46 mph	—	42.0°N 70.5°W	near Duxbury, Massachusetts

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Alma make landfall?

Alma made landfall 3 times: 27 mi SSW of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba on June 8, 1966 at 08:00 UTC, as a Category 2 hurricane with 98 mph winds; near Artemisa, Artemisa, Cuba on June 8, 1966 at 12:00 UTC, as a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds; 24 mi SSE of Tallahassee, Florida on June 9, 1966 at 21:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds.

What category was Alma?

At its peak on June 8, 1966, Alma was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a central pressure of 970 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 2 hurricane.

How long did Alma last?

9.5 days, from June 5, 1966 to June 14, 1966, including 108 hours at hurricane strength (6 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 2,315 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Alma?

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.

Related storms

Keep exploring

Every storm named Alma

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1958	Tropical Storm Alma Atlantic	TS 63 mph	Tamaulipas, Mexico	→
1962	Hurricane Alma Atlantic	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1966	Hurricane Alma · this page Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	Artemisa, Cuba, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
1970	Hurricane Alma Atlantic	Cat 1 75 mph	—	→
1974	Tropical Storm Alma Atlantic	TS 58 mph	Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela	→
1984	Tropical Storm Alma Eastern Pacific	TS 58 mph	—
1990	Hurricane Alma Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1996	Hurricane Alma Eastern Pacific	Cat 2 104 mph	Michoacán, Mexico	→
2002	Hurricane Alma Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→
2008	Tropical Storm Alma Eastern Pacific	TS 63 mph	Nicaragua	→

Names are recycled every six years unless a storm is so deadly or costly that the name is retired.

Strongest storms of 1966

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1966	Hurricane Inez Atlantic	Cat 5 161 mph	Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe	→
1966	Hurricane Faith Atlantic	Cat 3 121 mph	—	→
1966	Hurricane Becky Atlantic	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1966	Hurricane Dorothy Atlantic	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1966	Hurricane Lois Atlantic	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1966	Hurricane Adele Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1966	Hurricane Blanca Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1966	Hurricane Connie Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→

See every 1966 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Alma on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormHurricane Elena (1965)Next Atlantic storm →Hurricane Becky (1966)

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