Hurricane Carol (1953)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · August 28 – September 9, 1953

Peak wind

161 mph

259 km/h · Sep 3

Peak category

Cat 5

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

929 mb

Landfalls

Nova Scotia, Canada · New Brunswick, Canada

Lifetime

12.3 d

Aug 28 – Sep 9

Distance

6,006 mi

9,664 km

ACE

32.7

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 Carol

Hurricane Carol (1953) was a Category 5 hurricane of the 1953 Atlantic season. It formed on August 28, 1953, 210 mi WSW of Dakar, Senegal, reached its peak of 161 mph (259 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 929 mb on September 3, 1953, and made landfall 2 times — first 29 mi NNW of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada on September 7, 1953 as a Category 1 hurricane (86 mph). Later landfalls: 13 mi E of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada on September 7, 1953 as a Category 1 hurricane (81 mph). It rapidly intensified by 46 mph in 24 hours (to 92 mph on September 1, 1953). The storm lasted 12.3 days and travelled about 6,006 miles (9,664 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
September 7, 1953 · 20:00 UTC	29 mi NNW of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada	Cat 1 86 mph	—
September 7, 1953 · 22:00 UTC	13 mi E of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada	Cat 1 81 mph	—

04 · Timeline

Every official fix 52 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Aug 28 06:00	TD	29 mph	—	14.0°N 20.5°W	open ocean
Aug 28 12:00	TD	29 mph	—	13.9°N 21.6°W	147 mi ESE of Praia, Cabo Verde
Aug 28 18:00	TD	29 mph	—	13.8°N 22.8°W	92 mi SSE of Praia, Cabo Verde
Aug 29 00:00	TD	29 mph	—	13.7°N 24.0°W	91 mi SSW of Praia, Cabo Verde
Aug 29 06:00	TD	35 mph	—	13.6°N 25.3°W	105 mi SSW of São Filipe, Cabo Verde
Aug 29 12:00	TD	35 mph	—	13.5°N 26.7°W	176 mi WSW of São Filipe, Cabo Verde
Aug 29 18:00	TD	35 mph	—	13.6°N 28.2°W	open ocean
Aug 30 00:00	TD	35 mph	—	13.8°N 29.9°W	open ocean
Aug 30 06:00	TD	35 mph	—	13.9°N 31.6°W	open ocean
Aug 30 12:00	TD	35 mph	—	14.0°N 33.3°W	open ocean
Aug 30 18:00	TD	35 mph	—	14.0°N 35.0°W	open ocean
Aug 31 00:00	TD	35 mph	—	14.0°N 36.7°W	open ocean
Aug 31 06:00	TS	40 mph	—	14.0°N 38.4°W	open ocean
Aug 31 12:00	TS	46 mph	—	14.0°N 40.1°W	open ocean
Aug 31 18:00	TS	58 mph	—	14.0°N 41.8°W	open ocean
Sep 1 00:00	TS	69 mph	—	14.0°N 43.4°W	open ocean
Sep 1 06:00	Cat 1	81 mph	—	14.0°N 45.0°W	open ocean
Sep 1 12:00	Cat 1	92 mph	—	14.0°N 46.6°W	open ocean
Sep 1 18:00	Cat 2	104 mph	—	14.1°N 48.2°W	open ocean
Sep 2 00:00	Cat 3	115 mph	—	14.4°N 49.7°W	open ocean
Sep 2 06:00	Cat 3	127 mph	—	15.0°N 51.2°W	open ocean
Sep 2 12:00	Cat 4	138 mph	944 mb	15.7°N 52.7°W	open ocean
Sep 2 18:00	Cat 4	144 mph	—	16.5°N 54.3°W	open ocean
Sep 3 00:00	Cat 4	150 mph	—	17.3°N 55.9°W	open ocean
Sep 3 06:00	Cat 4	155 mph	—	18.2°N 57.3°W	open ocean
Sep 3 12:00	Cat 5	161 mph	—	19.1°N 58.7°W	open ocean
Sep 3 18:00	Cat 5	161 mph	929 mb	20.0°N 60.1°W	open ocean
Sep 4 00:00	Cat 4	155 mph	—	21.2°N 61.3°W	open ocean
Sep 4 06:00	Cat 4	144 mph	—	22.4°N 62.4°W	open ocean
Sep 4 12:00	Cat 4	138 mph	—	23.6°N 63.2°W	open ocean
Sep 4 18:00	Cat 4	132 mph	942 mb	24.9°N 64.0°W	open ocean
Sep 5 00:00	Cat 4	132 mph	—	26.2°N 64.8°W	open ocean
Sep 5 06:00	Cat 4	132 mph	—	27.5°N 65.7°W	open ocean
Sep 5 12:00	Cat 3	127 mph	945 mb	28.8°N 66.5°W	open ocean
Sep 5 18:00	Cat 3	121 mph	—	29.9°N 67.2°W	open ocean
Sep 6 00:00	Cat 3	115 mph	—	31.0°N 67.9°W	open ocean
Sep 6 06:00	Cat 2	109 mph	—	32.2°N 68.6°W	open ocean
Sep 6 12:00	Cat 2	104 mph	—	33.4°N 69.4°W	open ocean
Sep 6 18:00	Cat 2	98 mph	962 mb	35.0°N 70.0°W	open ocean
Sep 7 00:00	Cat 1	92 mph	—	37.0°N 70.5°W	open ocean
Sep 7 06:00	Cat 1	86 mph	—	38.8°N 70.0°W	open ocean
Sep 7 12:00	Cat 1	86 mph	—	40.6°N 68.4°W	115 mi SE of Harwich, Massachusetts
Sep 7 18:00	Cat 1	86 mph	—	43.4°N 66.8°W	134 mi SSW of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Sep 7 20:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	86 mph	—	44.2°N 66.4°W	76 mi SSW of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Sep 7 22:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	81 mph	—	45.3°N 65.8°W	13 mi E of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Sep 8 00:00	TS	69 mph	—	46.4°N 65.2°W	22 mi NW of Lutes Mountain, New Brunswick, Canada
Sep 8 06:00	TS extratropical	58 mph	—	49.1°N 63.0°W	70 mi ENE of Gaspé, Quebec, Canada
Sep 8 12:00	TS extratropical	52 mph	—	51.8°N 60.8°W	open ocean
Sep 8 18:00	TS extratropical	52 mph	—	54.5°N 58.4°W	open ocean
Sep 9 00:00	TS extratropical	52 mph	—	57.0°N 56.2°W	open ocean
Sep 9 06:00	TS extratropical	52 mph	—	59.5°N 54.1°W	open ocean
Sep 9 12:00	TS extratropical	52 mph	—	61.8°N 52.0°W	165 mi S of Nuuk, Greenland

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Carol make landfall?

Carol made landfall 2 times: 29 mi NNW of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada on September 7, 1953 at 20:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds; 13 mi E of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada on September 7, 1953 at 22:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds.

What category was Carol?

At its peak on September 3, 1953, Carol was a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 161 mph (259 km/h) and a central pressure of 929 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 1 hurricane.

How long did Carol last?

12.3 days, from August 28, 1953 to September 9, 1953, including 162 hours at hurricane strength (102 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 6,006 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Carol?

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 Carol

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1953	Hurricane Carol · this page Atlantic	Cat 5 161 mph	Nova Scotia, Canada, New Brunswick, Canada
1954	Hurricane Carol Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	New York, Connecticut	→
1965	Hurricane Carol Atlantic	Cat 1 92 mph	—	→

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

Strongest storms of 1953

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1953	Hurricane Edna Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→
1953	Hurricane Florence Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	Florida	→
1953	Hurricane Barbara Atlantic	Cat 1 92 mph	North Carolina	→
1953	Hurricane Hazel Atlantic	Cat 1 86 mph	Florida	→
1953	Hurricane Gail Atlantic	Cat 1 81 mph	—	→
1953	Hurricane Dolly Atlantic	Cat 1 75 mph	Bermuda	→
1953	Tropical Storm Alice Atlantic	TS 69 mph	Pinar del Río, Cuba, Florida	→

See every 1953 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Carol on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormHurricane Barbara (1953)Next Atlantic storm →Hurricane Dolly (1953)

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