Hurricane Emily (1987)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · September 20–26, 1987

Peak wind

127 mph

204 km/h · Sep 22

Peak category

Cat 3

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

958 mb

Landfalls

Dominican Republic · Bermuda

Lifetime

6.8 d

Sep 20 – Sep 26

Distance

4,563 mi

7,342 km

ACE

10.7

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 Emily

Hurricane Emily (1987) was a Category 3 hurricane of the 1987 Atlantic season. It formed on September 20, 1987, 333 mi NNE of Kourou, French Guiana, reached its peak of 127 mph (204 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 958 mb on September 22, 1987, and made landfall 2 times — first near Santa Cruz de Barahona, Dominican Republic on September 23, 1987 as a Category 2 hurricane (109 mph). Later landfalls: near Smith's Parish, Bermuda on September 25, 1987 as a Category 1 hurricane (86 mph). It rapidly intensified by 69 mph in 24 hours (to 127 mph on September 22, 1987). The storm lasted 6.8 days and travelled about 4,563 miles (7,342 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 23, 1987 · 03:00 UTC	near Santa Cruz de Barahona, Dominican Republic	Cat 2 109 mph	965 mb
September 25, 1987 · 12:00 UTC	near Smith's Parish, Bermuda	Cat 1 86 mph	974 mb

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	57 mi	Sep 23 · 00:00 UTC	Cat 3 121 mph
Santo Domingo Este, Dominican Republic	60 mi	Sep 23 · 00:00 UTC	Cat 3 121 mph
Santo Domingo Oeste, Dominican Republic	54 mi	Sep 23 · 01:00 UTC	Cat 3 117 mph
Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic	61 mi	Sep 23 · 06:00 UTC	Cat 1 81 mph
Delmas, Haiti	61 mi	Sep 23 · 06:00 UTC	Cat 1 81 mph
Pétionville, Haiti	61 mi	Sep 23 · 06:00 UTC	Cat 1 81 mph
Port-au-Prince, Haiti	63 mi	Sep 23 · 07:00 UTC	Cat 1 78 mph
Carrefour, Haiti	67 mi	Sep 23 · 07:00 UTC	Cat 1 78 mph
Port-de-Paix, Haiti	32 mi	Sep 23 · 13:00 UTC	TS 60 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 30 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Sep 20 00:00	TD	29 mph	1008 mb	9.8°N 51.3°W	open ocean
Sep 20 06:00	TD	29 mph	1007 mb	10.4°N 53.0°W	open ocean
Sep 20 12:00	TD	35 mph	1006 mb	10.9°N 54.7°W	open ocean
Sep 20 18:00	TS	40 mph	1005 mb	11.4°N 56.4°W	open ocean
Sep 21 00:00	TS	46 mph	1004 mb	12.0°N 58.0°W	133 mi SE of Bridgetown, Barbados
Sep 21 06:00	TS	46 mph	1004 mb	12.4°N 59.7°W	49 mi S of Bridgetown, Barbados
Sep 21 12:00	TS	52 mph	1004 mb	13.1°N 61.3°W	near Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Sep 21 18:00	TS	58 mph	1002 mb	13.7°N 63.1°W	131 mi WNW of Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Sep 22 00:00	TS	69 mph	992 mb	14.5°N 64.7°W	open ocean
Sep 22 06:00	Cat 1	92 mph	978 mb	15.1°N 66.3°W	open ocean
Sep 22 12:00	Cat 2	104 mph	971 mb	15.9°N 67.7°W	162 mi SSW of Ponce, Puerto Rico
Sep 22 18:00	Cat 3	127 mph	958 mb	16.7°N 69.1°W	119 mi S of La Romana, Dominican Republic
Sep 23 00:00	Cat 3	121 mph	960 mb	17.8°N 70.4°W	33 mi S of Baní, Dominican Republic
Sep 23 03:00	Cat 2 LANDFALL	109 mph	965 mb	18.3°N 71.0°W	near Santa Cruz de Barahona, Dominican Republic
Sep 23 06:00	Cat 1	81 mph	984 mb	19.0°N 71.5°W	near Las Matas de Farfán, Dominican Republic
Sep 23 12:00	TS	63 mph	1004 mb	20.0°N 72.3°W	18 mi NNW of Cap-Haïtien, Haiti
Sep 23 18:00	TS	46 mph	1003 mb	20.9°N 72.8°W	66 mi N of Port-de-Paix, Haiti
Sep 24 00:00	TS	46 mph	1000 mb	22.0°N 73.0°W	50 mi WNW of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Sep 24 06:00	TS	52 mph	1001 mb	23.2°N 73.0°W	109 mi NNW of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Sep 24 12:00	TS	52 mph	1002 mb	24.4°N 72.7°W	183 mi N of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Sep 24 18:00	TS	52 mph	1002 mb	26.0°N 72.0°W	open ocean
Sep 25 00:00	TS	52 mph	999 mb	28.0°N 70.5°W	open ocean
Sep 25 06:00	Cat 1	81 mph	985 mb	30.2°N 68.0°W	open ocean
Sep 25 12:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	86 mph	974 mb	32.3°N 64.7°W	near Pembroke Parish, Bermuda
Sep 25 12:00	Cat 1	92 mph	974 mb	32.4°N 64.6°W	13 mi ENE of Pembroke Parish, Bermuda
Sep 25 18:00	Cat 1	92 mph	974 mb	35.0°N 60.0°W	open ocean
Sep 26 00:00	Cat 1	86 mph	976 mb	38.0°N 55.0°W	open ocean
Sep 26 06:00	Cat 1	81 mph	979 mb	41.2°N 49.0°W	open ocean
Sep 26 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	983 mb	44.8°N 42.5°W	open ocean
Sep 26 18:00	TS extratropical	63 mph	994 mb	49.0°N 36.0°W	open ocean

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Emily make landfall?

Emily made landfall 2 times: near Santa Cruz de Barahona, Dominican Republic on September 23, 1987 at 03:00 UTC, as a Category 2 hurricane with 109 mph winds; near Smith's Parish, Bermuda on September 25, 1987 at 12:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds.

What category was Emily?

At its peak on September 22, 1987, Emily was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 127 mph (204 km/h) and a central pressure of 958 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 2 hurricane.

How long did Emily last?

6.8 days, from September 20, 1987 to September 26, 1987, including 66 hours at hurricane strength (9 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 4,563 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Emily?

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 Emily

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1963	Hurricane Emily Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
1965	Hurricane Emily Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 92 mph	—	→
1969	Tropical Storm Emily Eastern Pacific	TS 63 mph	—
1973	Hurricane Emily Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 138 mph	—	→
1977	Tropical Storm Emily Eastern Pacific	TS 40 mph	—	→
1981	Hurricane Emily Atlantic	Cat 1 92 mph	—	→
1987	Hurricane Emily · this page Atlantic	Cat 3 127 mph	Dominican Republic, Bermuda
1993	Hurricane Emily Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→
1999	Tropical Storm Emily Atlantic	TS 52 mph	—	→
2005	Hurricane Emily Atlantic	Cat 5 161 mph	Quintana Roo, Mexico, Tamaulipas, Mexico	→
2011	Tropical Storm Emily Atlantic	TS 52 mph	—	→
2017	Tropical Storm Emily Atlantic	TS 58 mph	Florida	→
2023	Tropical Storm Emily Atlantic	TS 52 mph	—	→

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

Strongest storms of 1987

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1987	Hurricane Max Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 155 mph	—	→
1987	Hurricane Ramon Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 138 mph	—	→
1987	Hurricane Hilary Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 121 mph	—	→
1987	Hurricane Otis Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→
1987	Hurricane Jova Eastern Pacific	Cat 2 104 mph	—	→
1987	Hurricane Peke Central Pacific	Cat 2 104 mph	—	→
1987	Hurricane Eugene Eastern Pacific	Cat 2 98 mph	—	→
1987	Hurricane Lidia Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→

See every 1987 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Emily on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormTropical Storm Bret (1987)Next Atlantic storm →Hurricane Floyd (1987)

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