Hurricane Janet (1955)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · September 21–30, 1955

Peak wind

173 mph

278 km/h · Sep 28

Peak category

Cat 5

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

914 mb

Landfalls

Quintana Roo, Mexico · Veracruz, Mexico

Lifetime

9.0 d

Sep 21 – Sep 30

Distance

3,262 mi

5,248 km

ACE

27.7

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 Janet

Hurricane Janet (1955) was a Category 5 hurricane of the 1955 Atlantic season. It formed on September 21, 1955, reached its peak of 173 mph (278 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 914 mb on September 28, 1955, and made landfall 4 times — first 39 mi SSW of Calliaqua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on September 23, 1955 as a Category 2 hurricane (104 mph). Later landfalls: at 17.4°N, 83.9°W on September 27, 1955 as a Category 5 hurricane (161 mph); 34 mi ESE of Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico on September 28, 1955 as a Category 5 hurricane (173 mph); 18 mi SE of Villa Emilio Carranza, Veracruz, Mexico on September 29, 1955 as a Category 2 hurricane (109 mph). It rapidly intensified by 46 mph in 24 hours (to 92 mph on September 22, 1955). The storm lasted 9.0 days and travelled about 3,262 miles (5,248 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
September 23, 1955 · 00:00 UTC	39 mi SSW of Calliaqua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Cat 2 104 mph	—
September 27, 1955 · 17:00 UTC	at 17.4°N, 83.9°W	Cat 5 161 mph	—
September 28, 1955 · 05:00 UTC	34 mi ESE of Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico	Cat 5 173 mph	914 mb
September 29, 1955 · 18:00 UTC	18 mi SE of Villa Emilio Carranza, Veracruz, Mexico	Cat 2 109 mph	—

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico	72 mi	Sep 30 · 01:00 UTC	TS 64 mph
Mexico City, Mexico City, Mexico	59 mi	Sep 30 · 05:00 UTC	TS 45 mph
Iztapalapa, Mexico City, Mexico	63 mi	Sep 30 · 05:00 UTC	TS 45 mph
Ecatepec de Morelos, México, Mexico	46 mi	Sep 30 · 05:00 UTC	TS 45 mph
Gustavo Adolfo Madero, Mexico City, Mexico	55 mi	Sep 30 · 05:00 UTC	TS 45 mph
Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, México, Mexico	59 mi	Sep 30 · 05:00 UTC	TS 45 mph
Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City, Mexico	65 mi	Sep 30 · 05:00 UTC	TS 45 mph
Naucalpan de Juárez, México, Mexico	57 mi	Sep 30 · 06:00 UTC	TS 40 mph
Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico	9 mi	Sep 30 · 12:00 UTC	TD 29 mph
Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico	71 mi	Sep 30 · 12:00 UTC	TD 29 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 40 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Sep 21 12:00	TS	46 mph	—	13.2°N 52.6°W	open ocean
Sep 21 18:00	TS	58 mph	—	13.2°N 54.3°W	open ocean
Sep 22 00:00	TS	69 mph	—	13.2°N 56.0°W	open ocean
Sep 22 06:00	Cat 1	81 mph	—	13.1°N 57.5°W	143 mi E of Bridgetown, Barbados
Sep 22 12:00	Cat 1	92 mph	979 mb	13.0°N 58.9°W	49 mi E of Bridgetown, Barbados
Sep 22 18:00	Cat 2	104 mph	—	12.8°N 60.2°W	44 mi WSW of Bridgetown, Barbados
Sep 23 00:00	Cat 2 LANDFALL	104 mph	—	12.6°N 61.4°W	39 mi SSW of Calliaqua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Sep 23 06:00	Cat 1	92 mph	—	12.5°N 62.5°W	97 mi WSW of Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Sep 23 12:00	Cat 1	81 mph	—	12.7°N 63.6°W	115 mi NNE of Juan Griego, Venezuela
Sep 23 18:00	TS	69 mph	996 mb	13.0°N 64.8°W	144 mi NNW of Juan Griego, Venezuela
Sep 24 00:00	TS	69 mph	—	13.2°N 65.9°W	175 mi ENE of Kralendijk, Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba
Sep 24 06:00	TS	63 mph	—	13.5°N 67.0°W	126 mi NE of Kralendijk, Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba
Sep 24 12:00	TS	63 mph	996 mb	13.7°N 68.2°W	107 mi N of Kralendijk, Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba
Sep 24 18:00	TS	69 mph	995 mb	13.8°N 69.4°W	95 mi NNE of Noord, Aruba
Sep 25 00:00	Cat 1	75 mph	—	13.8°N 70.7°W	96 mi NNW of Noord, Aruba
Sep 25 06:00	Cat 1	75 mph	—	13.8°N 71.8°W	146 mi NW of Noord, Aruba
Sep 25 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	993 mb	13.9°N 72.9°W	163 mi N of Riohacha, Colombia
Sep 25 18:00	Cat 1	81 mph	988 mb	14.2°N 74.2°W	open ocean
Sep 26 00:00	Cat 1	81 mph	—	14.5°N 75.4°W	open ocean
Sep 26 06:00	Cat 1	92 mph	—	14.7°N 76.4°W	open ocean
Sep 26 12:00	Cat 2	104 mph	970 mb	15.0°N 77.2°W	open ocean
Sep 26 18:00	Cat 3	115 mph	—	15.3°N 78.0°W	open ocean
Sep 27 00:00	Cat 3	127 mph	—	15.8°N 78.9°W	175 mi SSW of Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica
Sep 27 06:00	Cat 4	138 mph	—	16.4°N 80.2°W	178 mi SW of Negril, Jamaica
Sep 27 12:00	Cat 4	150 mph	—	17.0°N 82.1°W	165 mi SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands
Sep 27 15:00	Cat 4	155 mph	938 mb	17.3°N 83.0°W	145 mi NE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Sep 27 17:00	Cat 5 LANDFALL	161 mph	—	17.4°N 83.9°W	120 mi NNE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Sep 27 18:00	Cat 5	161 mph	—	17.5°N 84.1°W	125 mi NNE of Iriona, Honduras
Sep 28 00:00	Cat 5	173 mph	—	18.0°N 86.1°W	123 mi E of San Pedro, Belize
Sep 28 05:00	Cat 5 LANDFALL	173 mph	914 mb	18.4°N 87.8°W	34 mi ESE of Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Sep 28 06:00	Cat 5	173 mph	914 mb	18.5°N 88.2°W	near Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Sep 28 12:00	Cat 3	121 mph	950 mb	18.9°N 90.2°W	41 mi ENE of Escárcega, Campeche, Mexico
Sep 28 18:00	Cat 2	104 mph	—	19.2°N 91.7°W	39 mi NNE of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Mexico
Sep 29 00:00	Cat 2	104 mph	—	19.5°N 93.1°W	72 mi NNW of Frontera, Tabasco, Mexico
Sep 29 06:00	Cat 2	109 mph	—	19.7°N 94.2°W	108 mi N of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico
Sep 29 12:00	Cat 2	109 mph	—	19.8°N 95.3°W	70 mi NE of Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico
Sep 29 18:00	Cat 2 LANDFALL	109 mph	—	19.8°N 96.4°W	31 mi ESE of Misantla, Veracruz, Mexico
Sep 30 00:00	TS	69 mph	—	20.0°N 97.7°W	14 mi S of Filomeno Mata, Veracruz, Mexico
Sep 30 06:00	TS	40 mph	—	20.3°N 99.1°W	near Tepatepec, Hidalgo, Mexico
Sep 30 12:00	TD	29 mph	—	20.5°N 100.5°W	9 mi SW of Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Janet make landfall?

Janet made landfall 4 times: 39 mi SSW of Calliaqua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on September 23, 1955 at 00:00 UTC, as a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds; at 17.4°N, 83.9°W on September 27, 1955 at 17:00 UTC, as a Category 5 hurricane with 161 mph winds; 34 mi ESE of Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico on September 28, 1955 at 05:00 UTC, as a Category 5 hurricane with 173 mph winds; 18 mi SE of Villa Emilio Carranza, Veracruz, Mexico on September 29, 1955 at 18:00 UTC, as a Category 2 hurricane with 109 mph winds.

What category was Janet?

At its peak on September 28, 1955, Janet was a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 173 mph (278 km/h) and a central pressure of 914 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 2 hurricane.

How long did Janet last?

9.0 days, from September 21, 1955 to September 30, 1955, including 156 hours at hurricane strength (48 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 3,262 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Janet?

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 1955

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1955	Hurricane Connie Atlantic	Cat 4 138 mph	North Carolina	→
1955	Hurricane Ione Atlantic	Cat 4 138 mph	North Carolina	→
1955	Hurricane Hilda Atlantic	Cat 3 121 mph	Quintana Roo, Mexico, Tamaulipas, Mexico	→
1955	Hurricane Katie Atlantic	Cat 2 109 mph	Dominican Republic	→
1955	Hurricane Diane Atlantic	Cat 2 104 mph	North Carolina	→
1955	Hurricane Flora Atlantic	Cat 2 104 mph	—	→
1955	Hurricane Edith Atlantic	Cat 2 98 mph	—	→
1955	Hurricane Gladys Atlantic	Cat 1 75 mph	Tamaulipas, Mexico	→

See every 1955 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Janet on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormHurricane Hilda (1955)Next Atlantic storm →Hurricane Katie (1955)

This site was built by Digital Dynamics Kft.

We build live, data-driven sites like this one

This archive is our own work, built from openly available data — the NOAA best-track records, the replay engine, the wind-field rendering and the map tiles served from our own servers in the European Union. If your business generates data — measurements, machines, orders, customers — we are happy to turn it into a clear, interactive interface.

But this is not all we build:

online shops and websites, with a design of your own
SaaS products and ERP systems
mobile apps for Android and iPhone
data collection, automation and map-based visualization

Or anything else that can be programmed — just get in touch.

See our work → or write: info@digitaldynamics.hu

digitaldynamics.hu