Hurricane Francelia (1969)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · August 29 – September 4, 1969

Peak wind

98 mph

157 km/h · Sep 2

Peak category

Cat 2

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

973 mb

Landfalls

Belize

Lifetime

6.5 d

Aug 29 – Sep 4

Distance

1,928 mi

3,103 km

ACE

8.7

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 Francelia

Hurricane Francelia (1969) was a Category 2 hurricane of the 1969 Atlantic season. It formed on August 29, 1969, 93 mi NNW of Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, reached its peak of 98 mph (157 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 973 mb on September 2, 1969, and made landfall near Punta Gorda, Belize on September 3, 1969 as a Category 2 hurricane (98 mph). It rapidly intensified by 34 mph in 24 hours (to 92 mph on September 2, 1969). The storm lasted 6.5 days and travelled about 1,928 miles (3,103 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)	Where	Strength	Pressure
September 3, 1969 · 21:00 UTC	near Punta Gorda, Belize	Cat 2 98 mph	—

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
San Pedro Sula, Honduras	49 mi	Sep 3 · 12:00 UTC	Cat 2 98 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 · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Aug 29 00:00	TD	35 mph	—	12.0°N 62.0°W	93 mi NNW of Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago
Aug 29 06:00	TD	35 mph	—	12.1°N 64.0°W	70 mi N of Juan Griego, Venezuela
Aug 29 12:00	TD	35 mph	—	12.3°N 65.9°W	126 mi N of Higuerote, Venezuela
Aug 29 18:00	TD	35 mph	1005 mb	12.7°N 67.7°W	54 mi NE of Kralendijk, Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba
Aug 30 00:00	TD	35 mph	—	13.1°N 69.4°W	56 mi NE of Noord, Aruba
Aug 30 06:00	TS	46 mph	—	13.5°N 71.0°W	92 mi NW of Noord, Aruba
Aug 30 12:00	TS	58 mph	1001 mb	13.8°N 72.6°W	157 mi N of Riohacha, Colombia
Aug 30 18:00	TS	63 mph	999 mb	14.1°N 74.2°W	open ocean
Aug 31 00:00	TS	63 mph	—	14.4°N 75.7°W	open ocean
Aug 31 06:00	TS	63 mph	—	14.8°N 76.9°W	open ocean
Aug 31 12:00	TS	63 mph	—	15.3°N 77.8°W	open ocean
Aug 31 18:00	TS	58 mph	—	15.8°N 78.6°W	171 mi SSW of Mandeville, Jamaica
Sep 1 00:00	TS	52 mph	1002 mb	16.2°N 79.5°W	162 mi SSW of Negril, Jamaica
Sep 1 06:00	TS	52 mph	—	16.6°N 80.7°W	open ocean
Sep 1 12:00	TS	58 mph	—	17.0°N 82.0°W	163 mi SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands
Sep 1 18:00	TS	63 mph	995 mb	17.3°N 83.3°W	133 mi NE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Sep 2 00:00	Cat 1	75 mph	987 mb	17.2°N 84.6°W	91 mi NNE of Iriona, Honduras
Sep 2 06:00	Cat 1	81 mph	983 mb	16.9°N 85.4°W	68 mi NNW of Iriona, Honduras
Sep 2 12:00	Cat 1	92 mph	976 mb	16.6°N 86.1°W	64 mi N of Tocoa, Honduras
Sep 2 18:00	Cat 2	98 mph	973 mb	16.4°N 86.7°W	45 mi N of La Ceiba, Honduras
Sep 3 00:00	Cat 2	98 mph	—	16.3°N 87.3°W	38 mi NNE of Tela, Honduras
Sep 3 06:00	Cat 2	98 mph	—	16.3°N 87.7°W	36 mi NNE of Puerto Cortez, Honduras
Sep 3 12:00	Cat 2	98 mph	—	16.2°N 88.2°W	31 mi NW of Puerto Cortez, Honduras
Sep 3 18:00	Cat 2	98 mph	—	16.2°N 88.6°W	28 mi NNE of Lívingston, Guatemala
Sep 3 21:00	Cat 2 LANDFALL	98 mph	—	16.2°N 88.8°W	26 mi N of Lívingston, Guatemala
Sep 4 00:00	Cat 1	81 mph	—	16.2°N 89.0°W	29 mi ESE of Poptún, Guatemala
Sep 4 06:00	TS	52 mph	—	16.2°N 89.4°W	near Poptún, Guatemala
Sep 4 12:00	TD	29 mph	—	16.2°N 89.8°W	27 mi WSW of Poptún, Guatemala

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Francelia make landfall?

Francelia made landfall once: near Punta Gorda, Belize on September 3, 1969 at 21:00 UTC, as a Category 2 hurricane with 98 mph winds.

What category was Francelia?

At its peak on September 2, 1969, Francelia 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 2 hurricane.

How long did Francelia last?

6.5 days, from August 29, 1969 to September 4, 1969, including 54 hours at hurricane strength. It travelled about 1,928 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Francelia?

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 1969

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1969	Hurricane Camille Atlantic	Cat 5 173 mph	Mississippi, Pinar del Río, Cuba	→
1969	Hurricane Debbie Atlantic	Cat 3 127 mph	—	→
1969	Hurricane Gerda Atlantic	Cat 3 121 mph	New Brunswick, Canada	→
1969	Hurricane Inga Atlantic	Cat 2 109 mph	—	→
1969	Hurricane Kara Atlantic	Cat 1 92 mph	—	→
1969	Hurricane Laurie Atlantic	Cat 1 92 mph	—	→
1969	Hurricane Martha Atlantic	Cat 1 92 mph	Panama	→
1969	Hurricane Blanche Atlantic	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→

See every 1969 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Francelia on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormHurricane Debbie (1969)Next Atlantic storm →Hurricane Gerda (1969)

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