Hurricane Ernesto (2012)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · August 1–10, 2012

Peak wind

98 mph

157 km/h · Aug 8

Peak category

Cat 2

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

973 mb

Landfalls

Quintana Roo, Mexico · Veracruz, Mexico

Lifetime

8.8 d

Aug 1 – Aug 10

Distance

3,449 mi

5,549 km

ACE

8.5

storm energy

Deaths

per Wikidata

TD TS Cat 1 2 3 4 5 · dashed = post-tropical / remnant low. During the replay the shaded rings show the storm’s wind field as analysed by NHC — 39+, 58+ and 74+ mph winds, quadrant by quadrant. Click any point or table row to jump there.

01 · The story

What happened with Ernesto

Hurricane Ernesto (2012) was a Category 2 hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic season. It formed on August 1, 2012, reached its peak of 98 mph (157 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 973 mb on August 8, 2012, and made landfall 3 times — first at 18.7°N, 87.2°W on August 8, 2012 as a Category 1 hurricane (92 mph). Later landfalls: 44 mi ENE of Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico on August 8, 2012 as a Category 2 hurricane (98 mph); 15 mi NW of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico on August 9, 2012 as a tropical storm (63 mph). The storm lasted 8.8 days and travelled about 3,449 miles (5,549 km). According to Wikidata, it caused 12 deaths.

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
August 8, 2012 · 01:00 UTC	at 18.7°N, 87.2°W	Cat 1 92 mph	977 mb
August 8, 2012 · 03:00 UTC	44 mi ENE of Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico	Cat 2 98 mph	973 mb
August 9, 2012 · 16:00 UTC	15 mi NW of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico	TS 63 mph	989 mb

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico	44 mi	Aug 9 · 08:00 UTC	TS 67 mph
Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico	13 mi	Aug 9 · 15:00 UTC	TS 63 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 39 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Aug 1 12:00	TD	35 mph	1008 mb	11.6°N 46.7°W	open ocean
Aug 1 18:00	TD	35 mph	1008 mb	12.0°N 48.2°W	open ocean
Aug 2 00:00	TD	35 mph	1008 mb	12.4°N 49.9°W	open ocean
Aug 2 06:00	TD	35 mph	1008 mb	12.7°N 51.7°W	open ocean
Aug 2 12:00	TS	40 mph	1007 mb	13.0°N 53.6°W	open ocean
Aug 2 18:00	TS	52 mph	1006 mb	13.2°N 55.5°W	open ocean
Aug 3 00:00	TS	52 mph	1005 mb	13.4°N 57.5°W	144 mi E of Bridgetown, Barbados
Aug 3 06:00	TS	46 mph	1005 mb	13.6°N 59.7°W	34 mi N of Bridgetown, Barbados
Aug 3 12:00	TS	46 mph	1003 mb	13.7°N 61.6°W	45 mi NNW of Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Aug 3 18:00	TS	46 mph	1003 mb	13.8°N 63.3°W	146 mi WNW of Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Aug 4 00:00	TS	46 mph	1004 mb	13.8°N 64.8°W	open ocean
Aug 4 06:00	TS	52 mph	1005 mb	13.9°N 66.4°W	174 mi NE of Kralendijk, Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba
Aug 4 12:00	TS	52 mph	1005 mb	14.2°N 67.9°W	144 mi N of Kralendijk, Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba
Aug 4 18:00	TS	52 mph	1005 mb	14.6°N 69.5°W	145 mi NNE of Noord, Aruba
Aug 5 00:00	TS	52 mph	1006 mb	15.0°N 71.5°W	open ocean
Aug 5 06:00	TS	52 mph	1006 mb	15.0°N 73.8°W	open ocean
Aug 5 12:00	TS	52 mph	1006 mb	15.0°N 76.1°W	open ocean
Aug 5 18:00	TS	52 mph	1005 mb	15.1°N 77.8°W	open ocean
Aug 6 00:00	TS	52 mph	1003 mb	15.2°N 78.9°W	open ocean
Aug 6 06:00	TS	58 mph	998 mb	15.4°N 79.6°W	open ocean
Aug 6 12:00	TS	63 mph	996 mb	15.7°N 80.2°W	open ocean
Aug 6 18:00	TS	63 mph	995 mb	16.2°N 81.2°W	open ocean
Aug 7 00:00	TS	63 mph	994 mb	16.7°N 82.2°W	165 mi ENE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Aug 7 06:00	TS	63 mph	993 mb	17.3°N 83.3°W	133 mi NE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Aug 7 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	988 mb	17.8°N 84.4°W	135 mi NNE of Iriona, Honduras
Aug 7 18:00	Cat 1	86 mph	983 mb	18.4°N 85.7°W	153 mi ENE of San Pedro, Belize
Aug 8 00:00	Cat 1	92 mph	979 mb	18.7°N 87.1°W	80 mi E of Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Aug 8 01:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	92 mph	977 mb	18.7°N 87.2°W	73 mi E of Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Aug 8 03:00	Cat 2 LANDFALL	98 mph	973 mb	18.8°N 87.7°W	44 mi ENE of Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Aug 8 06:00	Cat 1	92 mph	973 mb	18.8°N 88.3°W	10 mi NE of Bacalar, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Aug 8 12:00	TS	69 mph	983 mb	18.8°N 89.6°W	76 mi E of Escárcega, Campeche, Mexico
Aug 8 18:00	TS	58 mph	993 mb	18.8°N 90.8°W	14 mi NNW of Escárcega, Campeche, Mexico
Aug 9 00:00	TS	63 mph	993 mb	18.8°N 91.7°W	14 mi NE of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Mexico
Aug 9 06:00	TS	69 mph	992 mb	18.7°N 92.8°W	15 mi NW of Frontera, Tabasco, Mexico
Aug 9 12:00	TS	63 mph	989 mb	18.4°N 93.8°W	29 mi NE of Agua Dulce, Veracruz, Mexico
Aug 9 16:00	TS LANDFALL	63 mph	989 mb	18.3°N 94.6°W	15 mi NW of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico
Aug 9 18:00	TS	58 mph	993 mb	18.2°N 94.9°W	17 mi N of Acayucan, Veracruz, Mexico
Aug 10 00:00	TS	46 mph	997 mb	18.0°N 96.0°W	10 mi SE of Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico
Aug 10 06:00	TD	35 mph	1002 mb	17.9°N 97.2°W	29 mi SW of Huautla de Jiménez, Puebla, Mexico

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Ernesto make landfall?

Ernesto made landfall 3 times: at 18.7°N, 87.2°W on August 8, 2012 at 01:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 92 mph winds; 44 mi ENE of Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico on August 8, 2012 at 03:00 UTC, as a Category 2 hurricane with 98 mph winds; 15 mi NW of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico on August 9, 2012 at 16:00 UTC, as a tropical storm with 63 mph winds.

What category was Ernesto?

At its peak on August 8, 2012, Ernesto was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 98 mph (157 km/h) and a central pressure of 973 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 1 hurricane.

How long did Ernesto last?

8.8 days, from August 1, 2012 to August 10, 2012, including 24 hours at hurricane strength. It travelled about 3,449 miles.

How many people died in Ernesto?

Wikidata records 12 deaths for Hurricane Ernesto. Casualty figures for tropical cyclones vary between sources; see the linked encyclopedia article for context.

Where can I download the track data for Ernesto?

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 Ernesto

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1982	Tropical Storm Ernesto Atlantic	TS 69 mph	—
1988	Tropical Storm Ernesto Atlantic	TS 63 mph	—	→
1994	Tropical Storm Ernesto Atlantic	TS 58 mph	—
2000	Tropical Storm Ernesto Atlantic	TS 40 mph	—
2006	Hurricane Ernesto Atlantic	Cat 1 75 mph	North Carolina, Florida	→
2012	Hurricane Ernesto · this page Atlantic	Cat 2 98 mph	Quintana Roo, Mexico, Veracruz, Mexico
2018	Tropical Storm Ernesto Atlantic	TS 46 mph	—
2024	Hurricane Ernesto Atlantic	Cat 2 98 mph	Bermuda, British Virgin Islands	→

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

Strongest storms of 2012

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
2012	Hurricane Emilia Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 138 mph	—	→
2012	Hurricane Miriam Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 121 mph	—	→
2012	Hurricane Paul Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 121 mph	—	→
2012	Hurricane Michael Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→
2012	Hurricane Sandy Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba, Jamaica	→
2012	Hurricane Bud Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→
2012	Hurricane Daniel Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→
2012	Hurricane Gordon Atlantic	Cat 2 109 mph	Portugal	→

See every 2012 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Ernesto on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormTropical Storm Debby (2012)Next Atlantic storm →Tropical Storm Helene (2012)

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