Hurricane Chantal (1989)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · July 30 – August 3, 1989

Peak wind
81 mph
130 km/h · Aug 1
Peak category
Cat 1
Saffir–Simpson
Lowest pressure
984 mb
Landfalls
1
Texas
Lifetime
3.5 d
Jul 30 – Aug 3
Distance
997 mi
1,604 km
ACE
2.5
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 Chantal

Hurricane Chantal (1989) was a Category 1 hurricane of the 1989 Atlantic season. It formed on July 30, 1989, 87 mi NNW of Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico, reached its peak of 81 mph (130 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 984 mb on August 1, 1989, and made landfall 32 mi NE of Galveston, Texas on August 1, 1989 as a Category 1 hurricane (81 mph). It rapidly intensified by 40 mph in 24 hours (to 75 mph on August 1, 1989). The storm lasted 3.5 days and travelled about 997 miles (1,604 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 1, 1989 · 13:00 UTC32 mi NE of Galveston, TexasCat 1 81 mph986 mb

Closest approach to major cities

CityDistance to centerWhen (UTC)Storm strength then
Houston, Texas29 miAug 1 · 17:00 UTCTS 62 mph
Cypress, Texas31 miAug 1 · 19:00 UTCTS 55 mph
Dallas, Texas50 miAug 2 · 13:00 UTCTD 23 mph
Grand Prairie, Texas39 miAug 2 · 13:00 UTCTD 23 mph
Fort Worth, Texas21 miAug 2 · 14:00 UTCTD 23 mph
Arlington, Texas33 miAug 2 · 14:00 UTCTD 23 mph
Plano, Texas62 miAug 2 · 14:00 UTCTD 23 mph
Garland, Texas63 miAug 2 · 14:00 UTCTD 23 mph
Irving, Texas44 miAug 2 · 14:00 UTCTD 23 mph
McKinney, Texas71 miAug 2 · 15:00 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 16 positions

Date · UTCStatusWindPressurePositionNearest place
Jul 30 12:00TD 23 mph1011 mb22.5°N 90.0°W87 mi NNW of Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico
Jul 30 18:00TD 29 mph1010 mb23.5°N 90.2°W157 mi NNW of Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico
Jul 31 00:00TD 35 mph1009 mb24.4°N 90.5°Wopen ocean
Jul 31 06:00TS 40 mph1004 mb25.4°N 91.0°Wopen ocean
Jul 31 12:00TS 58 mph995 mb26.2°N 91.7°Wopen ocean
Jul 31 18:00TS 63 mph993 mb27.1°N 92.2°Wopen ocean
Aug 1 00:00Cat 1 75 mph991 mb27.9°N 92.8°W149 mi SSW of Abbeville, Louisiana
Aug 1 06:00Cat 1 81 mph987 mb28.7°N 93.5°W86 mi SSE of Port Arthur, Texas
Aug 1 12:00Cat 1 81 mph984 mb29.5°N 94.3°W33 mi ENE of Galveston, Texas
Aug 1 13:00Cat 1 LANDFALL 81 mph986 mb29.6°N 94.4°W32 mi NE of Galveston, Texas
Aug 1 18:00TS 58 mph993 mb30.2°N 95.2°Wnear New Caney, Texas
Aug 2 00:00TS 40 mph1000 mb30.8°N 96.1°W18 mi NE of College Station, Texas
Aug 2 06:00TD 29 mph1004 mb31.5°N 96.9°W15 mi ESE of Waco, Texas
Aug 2 12:00TD 23 mph1007 mb32.3°N 97.5°Wnear Cleburne, Texas
Aug 2 18:00TD 23 mph1008 mb33.3°N 98.0°W35 mi N of Mineral Wells, Texas
Aug 3 00:00TD 23 mph1009 mb34.5°N 98.5°W10 mi SW of Lawton, Oklahoma

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Chantal make landfall?

Chantal made landfall once: 32 mi NE of Galveston, Texas on August 1, 1989 at 13:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds.

What category was Chantal?

At its peak on August 1, 1989, Chantal was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 81 mph (130 km/h) and a central pressure of 984 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 1 hurricane.

How long did Chantal last?

3.5 days, from July 30, 1989 to August 3, 1989, including 18 hours at hurricane strength. It travelled about 997 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Chantal?

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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