Hurricane Donna (1960)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · August 29 – September 14, 1960

Peak wind

144 mph

232 km/h · Sep 7

Peak category

Cat 4

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

930 mb

Landfalls

Florida · Antigua and Barbuda

Lifetime

15.8 d

Aug 29 – Sep 14

Distance

7,003 mi

11,268 km

ACE

49.2

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 Donna

Hurricane Donna (1960) was a Category 4 hurricane of the 1960 Atlantic season. It formed on August 29, 1960, 330 mi S of Praia, Cabo Verde, reached its peak of 144 mph (232 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 930 mb on September 7, 1960, and made landfall 9 times — first 40 mi N of Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda on September 4, 1960 as a Category 3 hurricane (127 mph). Later landfalls: near Grand-Case, Saint Martin on September 5, 1960 as a Category 3 hurricane (127 mph); at 22.2°N, 74.3°W on September 8, 1960 as a Category 3 hurricane (121 mph); at 22.4°N, 75.8°W on September 8, 1960 as a Category 3 hurricane (121 mph); and more. It rapidly intensified by 35 mph in 24 hours (to 75 mph on September 1, 1960). The storm lasted 15.8 days and travelled about 7,003 miles (11,268 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 4, 1960 · 22:00 UTC	40 mi N of Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda	Cat 3 127 mph	—
September 5, 1960 · 04:00 UTC	near Grand-Case, Saint Martin	Cat 3 127 mph	952 mb
September 8, 1960 · 06:00 UTC	at 22.2°N, 74.3°W	Cat 3 121 mph	947 mb
September 8, 1960 · 16:00 UTC	at 22.4°N, 75.8°W	Cat 3 121 mph	945 mb
September 10, 1960 · 07:00 UTC	13 mi ENE of Marathon, Florida	Cat 4 144 mph	930 mb
September 10, 1960 · 16:00 UTC	near Marco Island, Florida	Cat 3 121 mph	942 mb
September 12, 1960 · 04:00 UTC	near Piney Green, North Carolina	Cat 2 104 mph	958 mb
September 12, 1960 · 19:00 UTC	near Mastic Beach, New York	Cat 2 98 mph	959 mb
September 12, 1960 · 20:00 UTC	near Old Saybrook, Connecticut	Cat 1 92 mph	962 mb

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
Jacksonville, Florida	57 mi	Sep 11 · 13:00 UTC	Cat 1 87 mph
Virginia Beach, Virginia	36 mi	Sep 12 · 10:00 UTC	Cat 2 98 mph
New York City, New York	56 mi	Sep 12 · 18:00 UTC	Cat 2 98 mph
Brooklyn, New York	51 mi	Sep 12 · 18:00 UTC	Cat 2 98 mph
Staten Island, New York	55 mi	Sep 12 · 18:00 UTC	Cat 2 98 mph
Queens, New York	49 mi	Sep 12 · 19:00 UTC	Cat 2 98 mph
Manhattan, New York	56 mi	Sep 12 · 19:00 UTC	Cat 2 98 mph
The Bronx, New York	52 mi	Sep 12 · 19:00 UTC	Cat 2 98 mph
Boston, Massachusetts	23 mi	Sep 12 · 23:00 UTC	Cat 1 75 mph
South Boston, Massachusetts	24 mi	Sep 12 · 23:00 UTC	Cat 1 75 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 72 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Aug 29 18:00	TD	29 mph	—	10.2°N 22.8°W	open ocean
Aug 30 00:00	TD	29 mph	—	10.1°N 24.2°W	open ocean
Aug 30 06:00	TD	29 mph	—	10.2°N 25.5°W	open ocean
Aug 30 12:00	TD	29 mph	—	10.3°N 26.9°W	open ocean
Aug 30 18:00	TD	29 mph	—	10.5°N 28.4°W	open ocean
Aug 31 00:00	TD	35 mph	—	10.7°N 30.0°W	open ocean
Aug 31 06:00	TD	35 mph	—	10.9°N 31.6°W	open ocean
Aug 31 12:00	TS	40 mph	—	11.1°N 33.1°W	open ocean
Aug 31 18:00	TS	40 mph	—	11.4°N 34.6°W	open ocean
Sep 1 00:00	TS	46 mph	—	11.7°N 36.2°W	open ocean
Sep 1 06:00	TS	58 mph	—	12.0°N 37.8°W	open ocean
Sep 1 12:00	TS	63 mph	—	12.3°N 39.4°W	open ocean
Sep 1 18:00	Cat 1	75 mph	—	12.6°N 41.1°W	open ocean
Sep 2 00:00	Cat 1	81 mph	—	12.9°N 42.8°W	open ocean
Sep 2 06:00	Cat 1	86 mph	—	13.3°N 44.3°W	open ocean
Sep 2 12:00	Cat 2	98 mph	—	13.6°N 45.8°W	open ocean
Sep 2 18:00	Cat 2	109 mph	973 mb	13.9°N 47.6°W	open ocean
Sep 3 00:00	Cat 3	115 mph	—	14.3°N 49.4°W	open ocean
Sep 3 06:00	Cat 3	121 mph	—	14.7°N 51.2°W	open ocean
Sep 3 12:00	Cat 3	121 mph	962 mb	15.3°N 53.1°W	open ocean
Sep 3 18:00	Cat 3	121 mph	—	15.9°N 55.0°W	open ocean
Sep 4 00:00	Cat 3	127 mph	—	16.4°N 56.6°W	open ocean
Sep 4 06:00	Cat 3	127 mph	—	16.6°N 58.2°W	open ocean
Sep 4 12:00	Cat 3	127 mph	958 mb	16.9°N 59.7°W	113 mi ENE of Saint-François, Guadeloupe
Sep 4 18:00	Cat 3	127 mph	—	17.4°N 60.9°W	65 mi ENE of Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
Sep 4 22:00	Cat 3 LANDFALL	127 mph	—	17.7°N 61.8°W	40 mi N of Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
Sep 5 00:00	Cat 3	127 mph	956 mb	17.8°N 62.1°W	50 mi NNW of Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
Sep 5 04:00	Cat 3 LANDFALL	127 mph	952 mb	18.1°N 63.0°W	58 mi NNW of Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Sep 5 06:00	Cat 3	127 mph	952 mb	18.3°N 63.4°W	82 mi NNW of Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Sep 5 12:00	Cat 3	127 mph	958 mb	19.1°N 64.8°W	53 mi N of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
Sep 5 18:00	Cat 3	127 mph	956 mb	19.7°N 65.8°W	88 mi NNE of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Sep 6 00:00	Cat 4	132 mph	941 mb	20.1°N 66.5°W	116 mi NNW of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Sep 6 06:00	Cat 4	132 mph	—	20.6°N 67.5°W	151 mi NNE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Sep 6 12:00	Cat 4	138 mph	940 mb	21.2°N 68.3°W	153 mi NNE of Samaná, Dominican Republic
Sep 6 18:00	Cat 4	138 mph	940 mb	21.5°N 68.9°W	159 mi NNE of Nagua, Dominican Republic
Sep 7 00:00	Cat 4	144 mph	932 mb	21.8°N 69.7°W	153 mi NNE of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Sep 7 06:00	Cat 4	138 mph	—	22.0°N 70.5°W	113 mi E of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Sep 7 12:00	Cat 3	127 mph	948 mb	22.1°N 71.3°W	65 mi ENE of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Sep 7 18:00	Cat 3	127 mph	—	22.1°N 72.3°W	22 mi N of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Sep 8 00:00	Cat 3	127 mph	945 mb	22.2°N 73.4°W	79 mi WNW of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Sep 8 06:00	Cat 3 LANDFALL	121 mph	947 mb	22.2°N 74.3°W	115 mi NNE of Moa, Holguín Province, Cuba
Sep 8 12:00	Cat 3	115 mph	951 mb	22.3°N 75.3°W	96 mi NNE of Banes, Holguín Province, Cuba
Sep 8 16:00	Cat 3 LANDFALL	121 mph	945 mb	22.4°N 75.8°W	92 mi NNE of Gibara, Holguín Province, Cuba
Sep 8 18:00	Cat 3	121 mph	945 mb	22.4°N 76.1°W	89 mi NNE of Puerto Padre, Las Tunas Province, Cuba
Sep 9 00:00	Cat 3	127 mph	939 mb	22.6°N 76.9°W	77 mi NNE of Nuevitas, Camagüey, Cuba
Sep 9 06:00	Cat 3	127 mph	942 mb	22.9°N 77.8°W	76 mi NE of Morón, Ciego de Ávila Province, Cuba
Sep 9 12:00	Cat 3	127 mph	942 mb	23.2°N 78.7°W	68 mi NE of Caibarién, Villa Clara Province, Cuba
Sep 9 18:00	Cat 3	127 mph	944 mb	23.7°N 79.4°W	75 mi NE of Sagua la Grande, Villa Clara Province, Cuba
Sep 10 00:00	Cat 4	132 mph	938 mb	24.2°N 80.1°W	65 mi SSE of Key Largo, Florida
Sep 10 06:00	Cat 4	144 mph	930 mb	24.7°N 80.8°W	35 mi SW of Key Largo, Florida
Sep 10 07:00	Cat 4 LANDFALL	144 mph	930 mb	24.8°N 80.9°W	35 mi SW of Key Largo, Florida
Sep 10 12:00	Cat 4	132 mph	939 mb	25.3°N 81.3°W	53 mi WSW of Homestead, Florida
Sep 10 16:00	Cat 3 LANDFALL	121 mph	942 mb	25.9°N 81.6°W	near Marco Island, Florida
Sep 10 18:00	Cat 3	121 mph	945 mb	26.3°N 81.8°W	near Bonita Springs, Florida
Sep 11 00:00	Cat 2	98 mph	957 mb	27.3°N 81.9°W	25 mi NNE of Port Charlotte, Florida
Sep 11 06:00	Cat 1	75 mph	964 mb	28.3°N 81.7°W	near Four Corners, Florida
Sep 11 12:00	Cat 1	86 mph	968 mb	29.7°N 81.0°W	15 mi ENE of Palm Coast, Florida
Sep 11 18:00	Cat 1	92 mph	970 mb	31.1°N 79.9°W	87 mi E of Saint Simons Island, Georgia
Sep 12 00:00	Cat 2	104 mph	958 mb	33.0°N 78.3°W	58 mi SE of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Sep 12 04:00	Cat 2 LANDFALL	104 mph	958 mb	34.6°N 77.3°W	near Piney Green, North Carolina
Sep 12 06:00	Cat 2	98 mph	960 mb	35.1°N 76.7°W	19 mi E of New Bern, North Carolina
Sep 12 12:00	Cat 2	98 mph	—	37.3°N 74.8°W	72 mi ENE of Virginia Beach, Virginia
Sep 12 18:00	Cat 2	98 mph	959 mb	40.1°N 73.3°W	49 mi SE of Queens, New York
Sep 12 19:00	Cat 2 LANDFALL	98 mph	959 mb	40.7°N 72.9°W	near Mastic Beach, New York
Sep 12 20:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	92 mph	962 mb	41.3°N 72.4°W	near Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Sep 13 00:00	TS	69 mph	969 mb	42.8°N 71.2°W	near Salem, New Hampshire
Sep 13 06:00	TS extratropical	69 mph	—	46.8°N 68.6°W	42 mi SSW of Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada
Sep 13 12:00	TS extratropical	69 mph	—	50.0°N 66.0°W	22 mi SE of Sept-Îles, Quebec, Canada
Sep 13 18:00	TS extratropical	69 mph	—	53.1°N 62.5°W	open ocean
Sep 14 00:00	TS extratropical	52 mph	—	56.0°N 58.2°W	open ocean
Sep 14 06:00	TS extratropical	46 mph	—	58.5°N 54.0°W	open ocean
Sep 14 12:00	TS extratropical	46 mph	—	61.0°N 50.0°W	open ocean

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Donna make landfall?

Donna made landfall 9 times: 40 mi N of Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda on September 4, 1960 at 22:00 UTC, as a Category 3 hurricane with 127 mph winds; near Grand-Case, Saint Martin on September 5, 1960 at 04:00 UTC, as a Category 3 hurricane with 127 mph winds; at 22.2°N, 74.3°W on September 8, 1960 at 06:00 UTC, as a Category 3 hurricane with 121 mph winds; at 22.4°N, 75.8°W on September 8, 1960 at 16:00 UTC, as a Category 3 hurricane with 121 mph winds; 13 mi ENE of Marathon, Florida on September 10, 1960 at 07:00 UTC, as a Category 4 hurricane with 144 mph winds; near Marco Island, Florida on September 10, 1960 at 16:00 UTC, as a Category 3 hurricane with 121 mph winds; near Piney Green, North Carolina on September 12, 1960 at 04:00 UTC, as a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds; near Mastic Beach, New York on September 12, 1960 at 19:00 UTC, as a Category 2 hurricane with 98 mph winds; near Old Saybrook, Connecticut on September 12, 1960 at 20:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 92 mph winds.

What category was Donna?

At its peak on September 7, 1960, Donna was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 144 mph (232 km/h) and a central pressure of 930 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 3 hurricane.

How long did Donna last?

15.8 days, from August 29, 1960 to September 14, 1960, including 270 hours at hurricane strength (192 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 7,003 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Donna?

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

Strongest storms of 1960

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1960	Hurricane Ethel Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	Mississippi	→
1960	Hurricane Cleo Atlantic	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1960	Hurricane Celeste Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1960	Hurricane Diana Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1960	Hurricane Estelle Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1960	Hurricane Fernanda Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1960	Hurricane Hyacinth Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1960	Hurricane Abby Atlantic	Cat 1 81 mph	Honduras, Belize	→

See every 1960 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Donna on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormHurricane Cleo (1960)Next Atlantic storm →Hurricane Ethel (1960)

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