Hurricane Isaac (2012)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · August 20 – September 1, 2012

Peak wind
81 mph
130 km/h · Aug 28
Peak category
Cat 1
Saffir–Simpson
Lowest pressure
965 mb
Landfalls
4
Louisiana · Haiti
Lifetime
11.8 d
Aug 20 – Sep 1
Distance
4,042 mi
6,503 km
ACE
10.4
storm energy

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 Isaac

Hurricane Isaac (2012) was a Category 1 hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic season. It formed on August 20, 2012, reached its peak of 81 mph (130 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 965 mb on August 28, 2012, and made landfall 4 times — first 12 mi WNW of Jacmel, Haiti on August 25, 2012 as a tropical storm (63 mph). Later landfalls: 17 mi S of Baracoa, Guantánamo Province, Cuba on August 25, 2012 as a tropical storm (58 mph); at 28.9°N, 89.4°W on August 29, 2012 as a Category 1 hurricane (81 mph); 18 mi SSE of Galliano, Louisiana on August 29, 2012 as a Category 1 hurricane (81 mph). The storm lasted 11.8 days and travelled about 4,042 miles (6,503 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)WhereStrengthPressure
August 25, 2012 · 06:00 UTC12 mi WNW of Jacmel, HaitiTS 63 mph991 mb
August 25, 2012 · 15:00 UTC17 mi S of Baracoa, Guantánamo Province, CubaTS 58 mph997 mb
August 29, 2012 · 00:00 UTCat 28.9°N, 89.4°WCat 1 81 mph967 mb
August 29, 2012 · 08:00 UTC18 mi SSE of Galliano, LouisianaCat 1 81 mph966 mb

Closest approach to major cities

CityDistance to centerWhen (UTC)Storm strength then
Port-au-Prince, Haiti29 miAug 25 · 06:00 UTCTS 63 mph
Carrefour, Haiti25 miAug 25 · 06:00 UTCTS 63 mph
Delmas, Haiti31 miAug 25 · 06:00 UTCTS 63 mph
Pétionville, Haiti31 miAug 25 · 06:00 UTCTS 63 mph
Port-de-Paix, Haiti68 miAug 25 · 11:00 UTCTS 58 mph
Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba67 miAug 25 · 17:00 UTCTS 58 mph
Holguín, Holguín Province, Cuba35 miAug 25 · 21:00 UTCTS 58 mph
Camagüey, Camagüey, Cuba66 miAug 26 · 03:00 UTCTS 60 mph
Havana, Havana, Cuba61 miAug 26 · 21:00 UTCTS 58 mph
New Orleans, Louisiana44 miAug 29 · 15:00 UTCTS 72 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 51 positions

Date · UTCStatusWindPressurePositionNearest place
Aug 20 12:00TD low/wave29 mph1010 mb15.7°N 44.8°Wopen ocean
Aug 20 18:00TD low/wave35 mph1009 mb15.6°N 46.8°Wopen ocean
Aug 21 00:00TD low/wave35 mph1008 mb15.2°N 48.5°Wopen ocean
Aug 21 06:00TD 35 mph1007 mb14.9°N 50.1°Wopen ocean
Aug 21 12:00TD 35 mph1006 mb15.0°N 51.6°Wopen ocean
Aug 21 18:00TS 40 mph1005 mb15.2°N 53.1°Wopen ocean
Aug 22 00:00TS 46 mph1004 mb15.4°N 54.8°Wopen ocean
Aug 22 06:00TS 52 mph1003 mb15.7°N 56.6°Wopen ocean
Aug 22 12:00TS 52 mph1004 mb15.9°N 58.6°W178 mi ENE of Le Robert, Martinique
Aug 22 18:00TS 52 mph1004 mb16.1°N 60.4°W59 mi E of Saint-François, Guadeloupe
Aug 23 00:00TS 52 mph1004 mb15.7°N 62.0°W27 mi SW of Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe
Aug 23 06:00TS 52 mph1004 mb15.0°N 63.4°W131 mi WSW of Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe
Aug 23 12:00TS 52 mph1003 mb15.1°N 65.0°W182 mi S of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Aug 23 18:00TS 52 mph1003 mb15.6°N 66.4°W167 mi S of Ponce, Puerto Rico
Aug 24 00:00TS 52 mph1002 mb15.7°N 67.8°W171 mi SSW of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Aug 24 06:00TS 52 mph998 mb15.4°N 69.1°Wopen ocean
Aug 24 12:00TS 58 mph995 mb15.7°N 70.4°W178 mi S of Baní, Dominican Republic
Aug 24 18:00TS 63 mph993 mb16.6°N 71.2°W106 mi SSE of Pedernales, Dominican Republic
Aug 25 00:00TS 63 mph992 mb17.3°N 71.8°W51 mi S of Pedernales, Dominican Republic
Aug 25 06:00TS LANDFALL 63 mph991 mb18.3°N 72.7°W12 mi WNW of Jacmel, Haiti
Aug 25 12:00TS 58 mph997 mb19.6°N 73.9°W48 mi SSE of Maisí, Guantánamo Province, Cuba
Aug 25 15:00TS LANDFALL 58 mph997 mb20.1°N 74.5°W17 mi S of Baracoa, Guantánamo Province, Cuba
Aug 25 18:00TS 58 mph997 mb20.8°N 75.2°W19 mi WNW of Moa, Holguín Province, Cuba
Aug 26 00:00TS 58 mph997 mb21.8°N 76.7°W40 mi ENE of Nuevitas, Camagüey, Cuba
Aug 26 06:00TS 63 mph995 mb22.7°N 78.3°W46 mi NNE of Morón, Ciego de Ávila Province, Cuba
Aug 26 12:00TS 63 mph995 mb23.4°N 80.0°W41 mi N of Sagua la Grande, Villa Clara Province, Cuba
Aug 26 18:00TS 58 mph992 mb23.7°N 81.4°W39 mi NNW of Varadero, Matanzas Province, Cuba
Aug 27 00:00TS 58 mph990 mb24.2°N 82.6°W57 mi WSW of Key West, Florida
Aug 27 06:00TS 58 mph989 mb25.0°N 83.6°W118 mi WNW of Key West, Florida
Aug 27 12:00TS 63 mph987 mb25.7°N 84.7°W169 mi SW of Venice, Florida
Aug 27 18:00TS 69 mph982 mb26.3°N 85.7°Wopen ocean
Aug 28 00:00TS 69 mph979 mb26.8°N 86.7°Wopen ocean
Aug 28 06:00TS 69 mph978 mb27.4°N 87.6°Wopen ocean
Aug 28 12:00Cat 1 75 mph975 mb28.0°N 88.3°W159 mi SSW of Gulf Shores, Alabama
Aug 28 18:00Cat 1 81 mph972 mb28.6°N 88.8°W121 mi SE of New Orleans, Louisiana
Aug 29 00:00Cat 1 LANDFALL 81 mph967 mb28.9°N 89.4°W83 mi SSE of New Orleans, Louisiana
Aug 29 03:00Cat 1 81 mph965 mb29.0°N 89.7°W70 mi SSE of New Orleans, Louisiana
Aug 29 06:00Cat 1 81 mph966 mb29.1°N 90.0°W59 mi S of New Orleans, Louisiana
Aug 29 08:00Cat 1 LANDFALL 81 mph966 mb29.2°N 90.2°W42 mi SE of Houma, Louisiana
Aug 29 12:00Cat 1 75 mph968 mb29.4°N 90.5°W19 mi SE of Houma, Louisiana
Aug 29 18:00TS 69 mph973 mb29.7°N 90.8°Wnear Bayou Cane, Louisiana
Aug 30 00:00TS 63 mph977 mb30.1°N 91.1°W16 mi SSW of Prairieville, Louisiana
Aug 30 06:00TS 63 mph982 mb30.6°N 91.5°W22 mi WNW of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Aug 30 12:00TS 52 mph987 mb31.3°N 91.9°W32 mi E of Alexandria, Louisiana
Aug 30 18:00TS 40 mph993 mb32.1°N 92.4°W33 mi SSW of Monroe, Louisiana
Aug 31 00:00TD 35 mph998 mb33.1°N 92.9°W15 mi WSW of El Dorado, Arkansas
Aug 31 06:00TD 29 mph1000 mb34.3°N 93.5°W29 mi WSW of Hot Springs, Arkansas
Aug 31 12:00TD 23 mph1001 mb35.6°N 94.0°W23 mi ENE of Van Buren, Arkansas
Aug 31 18:00TD 23 mph1003 mb36.8°N 94.1°W16 mi ESE of Neosho, Missouri
Sep 1 00:00TD 23 mph1004 mb37.8°N 93.9°W30 mi WNW of Bolivar, Missouri
Sep 1 06:00TD 23 mph1005 mb38.4°N 93.3°W21 mi S of Sedalia, Missouri

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Isaac make landfall?

Isaac made landfall 4 times: 12 mi WNW of Jacmel, Haiti on August 25, 2012 at 06:00 UTC, as a tropical storm with 63 mph winds; 17 mi S of Baracoa, Guantánamo Province, Cuba on August 25, 2012 at 15:00 UTC, as a tropical storm with 58 mph winds; at 28.9°N, 89.4°W on August 29, 2012 at 00:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds; 18 mi SSE of Galliano, Louisiana on August 29, 2012 at 08:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds.

What category was Isaac?

At its peak on August 28, 2012, Isaac was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 81 mph (130 km/h) and a central pressure of 965 mb. At its first landfall it was a tropical storm.

How long did Isaac last?

11.8 days, from August 20, 2012 to September 1, 2012, including 30 hours at hurricane strength. It travelled about 4,042 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Isaac?

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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