Hurricane Fifi (1974)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · September 15–21, 1974

Peak wind
98 mph
157 km/h · Sep 18
Peak category
Cat 2
Saffir–Simpson
Lowest pressure
970 mb
Landfalls
1
Belize
Lifetime
6.5 d
Sep 15 – Sep 21
Distance
2,009 mi
3,232 km
ACE
8.3
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 Fifi

Hurricane Fifi (1974) was a Category 2 hurricane of the 1974 Atlantic season. It formed on September 15, 1974, 163 mi NNE of Noord, Aruba, reached its peak of 98 mph (157 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 970 mb on September 18, 1974, and made landfall near Bella Vista, Belize on September 19, 1974 as a Category 1 hurricane (86 mph). It rapidly intensified by 41 mph in 24 hours (to 81 mph on September 17, 1974). The storm lasted 6.5 days and travelled about 2,009 miles (3,232 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
September 19, 1974 · 20:00 UTCnear Bella Vista, BelizeCat 1 86 mph979 mb

Closest approach to major cities

CityDistance to centerWhen (UTC)Storm strength then
Kingston, Jamaica55 miSep 16 · 12:00 UTCTS 40 mph
New Kingston, Jamaica56 miSep 16 · 12:00 UTCTS 40 mph
San Pedro Sula, Honduras58 miSep 19 · 15:00 UTCCat 1 95 mph
Tuxtla, Chiapas, Mexico17 miSep 20 · 16:00 UTCTS 42 mph
Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico71 miSep 20 · 16:00 UTCTS 42 mph
Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico73 miSep 20 · 21:00 UTCTD 37 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 28 positions

Date · UTCStatusWindPressurePositionNearest place
Sep 15 00:00TD 35 mph—14.7°N 69.0°W163 mi NNE of Noord, Aruba
Sep 15 06:00TD 35 mph—15.0°N 69.8°W169 mi N of Noord, Aruba
Sep 15 12:00TD 35 mph1012 mb15.5°N 71.0°W182 mi SSE of Pedernales, Dominican Republic
Sep 15 18:00TD 35 mph—16.3°N 72.5°W134 mi S of Jacmel, Haiti
Sep 16 00:00TS 40 mph1005 mb17.0°N 74.0°W84 mi SSW of Les Cayes, Haiti
Sep 16 06:00TS 40 mph—17.2°N 75.4°W107 mi ESE of Kingston, Jamaica
Sep 16 12:00TS 40 mph—17.2°N 76.8°W55 mi S of Kingston, Jamaica
Sep 16 18:00TS 40 mph1005 mb17.1°N 77.8°W68 mi SSW of Mandeville, Jamaica
Sep 17 00:00TS 52 mph1000 mb17.1°N 78.7°W84 mi SSW of Negril, Jamaica
Sep 17 06:00TS 63 mph993 mb16.9°N 79.4°W117 mi SW of Negril, Jamaica
Sep 17 12:00Cat 1 81 mph983 mb16.7°N 80.2°W163 mi SW of Negril, Jamaica
Sep 17 18:00Cat 1 81 mph—16.5°N 81.0°Wopen ocean
Sep 18 00:00Cat 1 81 mph983 mb16.3°N 81.6°Wopen ocean
Sep 18 06:00Cat 1 92 mph977 mb16.3°N 82.3°W150 mi ENE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Sep 18 12:00Cat 2 98 mph970 mb16.3°N 83.3°W87 mi ENE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Sep 18 18:00Cat 2 98 mph972 mb16.3°N 84.7°W35 mi NE of Iriona, Honduras
Sep 19 00:00Cat 2 98 mph972 mb16.2°N 85.6°W24 mi NNW of Limón, Honduras
Sep 19 06:00Cat 2 98 mph971 mb16.1°N 86.6°W26 mi NNE of La Ceiba, Honduras
Sep 19 12:00Cat 2 98 mph972 mb16.2°N 87.4°W30 mi N of Tela, Honduras
Sep 19 18:00Cat 1 92 mph—16.4°N 88.1°W41 mi NNW of Puerto Cortez, Honduras
Sep 19 20:00Cat 1 LANDFALL 86 mph979 mb16.5°N 88.4°W55 mi NNE of Puerto Barrios, Guatemala
Sep 20 00:00TS 69 mph—16.7°N 89.2°W19 mi NE of Dolores, Guatemala
Sep 20 06:00TS 58 mph—16.8°N 90.5°W39 mi WSW of San Benito, Guatemala
Sep 20 12:00TS 46 mph—16.9°N 92.0°Wnear Ocosingo, Chiapas, Mexico
Sep 20 18:00TS 40 mph—17.0°N 93.5°W18 mi NNW of Ocozocoautla de Espinosa, Chiapas, Mexico
Sep 21 00:00TD 35 mph—17.2°N 95.5°W38 mi NW of Matías Romero Avendaño, Oaxaca, Mexico
Sep 21 06:00TD 35 mph—17.5°N 97.0°W15 mi E of Asunción Nochixtlán, Oaxaca, Mexico
Sep 21 12:00TD 29 mph—17.5°N 98.5°Wnear Tlapa de Comonfort, Guerrero, Mexico

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Fifi make landfall?

Fifi made landfall once: near Bella Vista, Belize on September 19, 1974 at 20:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds.

What category was Fifi?

At its peak on September 18, 1974, Fifi was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 98 mph (157 km/h) and a central pressure of 970 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 1 hurricane.

How long did Fifi last?

6.5 days, from September 15, 1974 to September 21, 1974, including 60 hours at hurricane strength. It travelled about 2,009 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Fifi?

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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