Hurricane Irene (1999)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · October 12–19, 1999

Peak wind

109 mph

176 km/h · Oct 18

Peak category

Cat 2

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

958 mb

Landfalls

Florida · Isla de la Juventud, Cuba

Lifetime

7.3 d

Oct 12 – Oct 19

Distance

3,497 mi

5,627 km

ACE

10.4

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 Irene

Hurricane Irene (1999) was a Category 2 hurricane of the 1999 Atlantic season. It formed on October 12, 1999, 159 mi NE of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, reached its peak of 109 mph (176 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 958 mb on October 18, 1999, and made landfall 4 times — first 41 mi S of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba on October 14, 1999 as a tropical storm (69 mph). Later landfalls: near Güira de Melena, Artemisa, Cuba on October 14, 1999 as a tropical storm (69 mph); 12 mi ENE of Key West, Florida on October 15, 1999 as a Category 1 hurricane (75 mph); 41 mi WSW of Homestead, Florida on October 15, 1999 as a Category 1 hurricane (81 mph). It rapidly intensified by 40 mph in 24 hours (to 63 mph on October 14, 1999). The storm lasted 7.3 days and travelled about 3,497 miles (5,627 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
October 14, 1999 · 12:00 UTC	41 mi S of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba	TS 69 mph	997 mb
October 14, 1999 · 19:00 UTC	near Güira de Melena, Artemisa, Cuba	TS 69 mph	986 mb
October 15, 1999 · 13:00 UTC	12 mi ENE of Key West, Florida	Cat 1 75 mph	987 mb
October 15, 1999 · 20:00 UTC	41 mi WSW of Homestead, Florida	Cat 1 81 mph	987 mb

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
Havana, Havana, Cuba	11 mi	Oct 15 · 01:00 UTC	TS 70 mph
Miami, Florida	34 mi	Oct 16 · 00:00 UTC	Cat 1 75 mph
Hialeah, Florida	26 mi	Oct 16 · 00:00 UTC	Cat 1 75 mph
Pembroke Pines, Florida	24 mi	Oct 16 · 00:00 UTC	Cat 1 75 mph
Hollywood, Florida	29 mi	Oct 16 · 00:00 UTC	Cat 1 75 mph
Miramar, Florida	24 mi	Oct 16 · 00:00 UTC	Cat 1 75 mph
Fort Lauderdale, Florida	26 mi	Oct 16 · 01:00 UTC	Cat 1 75 mph
Coral Springs, Florida	15 mi	Oct 16 · 02:00 UTC	Cat 1 75 mph
Port Saint Lucie, Florida	11 mi	Oct 16 · 08:00 UTC	Cat 1 75 mph
Charleston, South Carolina	67 mi	Oct 17 · 18:00 UTC	Cat 1 81 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 34 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Oct 12 12:00	TD low/wave	23 mph	1006 mb	15.9°N 82.0°W	159 mi NE of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Oct 12 18:00	TD low/wave	23 mph	1006 mb	16.4°N 83.0°W	108 mi ENE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Oct 13 00:00	TD low/wave	23 mph	1005 mb	16.7°N 83.2°W	108 mi NE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Oct 13 06:00	TD	35 mph	1004 mb	17.3°N 83.3°W	133 mi NE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Oct 13 12:00	TS	40 mph	1003 mb	18.5°N 83.4°W	143 mi WSW of George Town, Cayman Islands
Oct 13 18:00	TS	52 mph	1001 mb	19.8°N 83.6°W	147 mi WNW of West Bay, Cayman Islands
Oct 14 00:00	TS	63 mph	999 mb	20.7°N 83.6°W	97 mi SSW of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Oct 14 06:00	TS	69 mph	999 mb	21.0°N 83.6°W	80 mi SW of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Oct 14 12:00	TS LANDFALL	69 mph	997 mb	21.3°N 82.9°W	41 mi S of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Oct 14 18:00	TS	69 mph	995 mb	22.4°N 82.4°W	23 mi SSW of Batabanó, Mayabeque, Cuba
Oct 14 19:00	TS LANDFALL	69 mph	986 mb	22.7°N 82.5°W	near Güira de Melena, Artemisa, Cuba
Oct 15 00:00	TS	69 mph	988 mb	23.1°N 82.6°W	14 mi W of Havana, Havana, Cuba
Oct 15 06:00	Cat 1	75 mph	988 mb	23.8°N 82.2°W	48 mi NNE of Havana, Havana, Cuba
Oct 15 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	987 mb	24.4°N 81.8°W	11 mi S of Key West, Florida
Oct 15 13:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	75 mph	987 mb	24.6°N 81.6°W	12 mi ENE of Key West, Florida
Oct 15 18:00	Cat 1	75 mph	986 mb	25.1°N 81.3°W	48 mi NE of Key West, Florida
Oct 15 20:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	81 mph	987 mb	25.3°N 81.1°W	41 mi WSW of Homestead, Florida
Oct 16 00:00	Cat 1	75 mph	986 mb	26.1°N 80.6°W	12 mi W of Weston, Florida
Oct 16 06:00	Cat 1	75 mph	985 mb	27.0°N 80.2°W	near Jupiter, Florida
Oct 16 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	982 mb	27.8°N 80.1°W	21 mi ENE of Vero Beach, Florida
Oct 16 18:00	Cat 1	75 mph	984 mb	28.6°N 79.9°W	47 mi ENE of Cocoa Beach, Florida
Oct 17 00:00	Cat 1	75 mph	984 mb	29.4°N 79.8°W	74 mi ENE of Port Orange, Florida
Oct 17 06:00	Cat 1	75 mph	985 mb	30.2°N 79.8°W	94 mi ENE of Palm Coast, Florida
Oct 17 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	984 mb	31.2°N 79.7°W	92 mi SE of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Oct 17 18:00	Cat 1	81 mph	978 mb	32.2°N 79.0°W	65 mi SE of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Oct 18 00:00	Cat 1	92 mph	976 mb	33.4°N 77.4°W	60 mi SSE of Masonboro, North Carolina
Oct 18 06:00	Cat 2	109 mph	964 mb	34.8°N 75.2°W	97 mi E of Havelock, North Carolina
Oct 18 08:00	Cat 2	109 mph	958 mb	35.4°N 74.4°W	121 mi ESE of Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Oct 18 12:00	Cat 2	104 mph	960 mb	36.8°N 71.6°W	open ocean
Oct 18 18:00	Cat 1	92 mph	968 mb	39.0°N 67.4°W	open ocean
Oct 19 00:00	Cat 1	92 mph	968 mb	41.5°N 61.0°W	open ocean
Oct 19 06:00	Cat 1 extratropical	92 mph	968 mb	44.9°N 51.5°W	open ocean
Oct 19 12:00	Cat 1 extratropical	92 mph	968 mb	48.0°N 48.0°W	open ocean
Oct 19 18:00	Cat 1 extratropical	92 mph	968 mb	51.0°N 45.0°W	open ocean

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Irene make landfall?

Irene made landfall 4 times: 41 mi S of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba on October 14, 1999 at 12:00 UTC, as a tropical storm with 69 mph winds; near Güira de Melena, Artemisa, Cuba on October 14, 1999 at 19:00 UTC, as a tropical storm with 69 mph winds; 12 mi ENE of Key West, Florida on October 15, 1999 at 13:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds; 41 mi WSW of Homestead, Florida on October 15, 1999 at 20:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds.

What category was Irene?

At its peak on October 18, 1999, Irene was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 109 mph (176 km/h) and a central pressure of 958 mb. At its first landfall it was a tropical storm.

How long did Irene last?

7.3 days, from October 12, 1999 to October 19, 1999, including 96 hours at hurricane strength. It travelled about 3,497 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Irene?

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 Irene

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1959	Tropical Storm Irene Atlantic	TS 46 mph	Alabama	→
1971	Hurricane Irene Atlantic	Cat 3 127 mph	Nicaragua	→
1981	Hurricane Irene Atlantic	Cat 3 121 mph	—	→
1999	Hurricane Irene · this page Atlantic	Cat 2 109 mph	Florida, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
2005	Hurricane Irene Atlantic	Cat 2 104 mph	—	→
2011	Hurricane Irene Atlantic	Cat 3 121 mph	Bahamas, North Carolina	→

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

Strongest storms of 1999

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1999	Hurricane Floyd Atlantic	Cat 4 155 mph	Bahamas, North Carolina	→
1999	Hurricane Lenny Atlantic	Cat 4 155 mph	U.S. Virgin Islands, Sint Maarten	→
1999	Hurricane Gert Atlantic	Cat 4 150 mph	—	→
1999	Hurricane Bret Atlantic	Cat 4 144 mph	Texas	→
1999	Hurricane Cindy Atlantic	Cat 4 138 mph	—	→
1999	Hurricane Dora Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 138 mph	—	→
1999	Hurricane Beatriz Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 121 mph	—	→
1999	Hurricane Eugene Eastern Pacific	Cat 2 109 mph	—	→

See every 1999 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Irene on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormTropical Storm Harvey (1999)Next Atlantic storm →Hurricane Jose (1999)

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