Hurricane Kate (1985)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · November 15–23, 1985

Peak wind

121 mph

194 km/h · Nov 20

Peak category

Cat 3

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

954 mb

Landfalls

Florida

Lifetime

8.0 d

Nov 15 – Nov 23

Distance

2,846 mi

4,580 km

ACE

19.1

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 Kate

Hurricane Kate (1985) was a Category 3 hurricane of the 1985 Atlantic season. It formed on November 15, 1985, 204 mi NNE of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands, reached its peak of 121 mph (194 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 954 mb on November 20, 1985, and made landfall 15 mi SE of Callaway, Florida on November 21, 1985 as a Category 2 hurricane (98 mph). It rapidly intensified by 41 mph in 24 hours (to 81 mph on November 16, 1985). The storm lasted 8.0 days and travelled about 2,846 miles (4,580 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
November 21, 1985 · 23:00 UTC	15 mi SE of Callaway, Florida	Cat 2 98 mph	967 mb

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
Camagüey, Camagüey, Cuba	50 mi	Nov 19 · 04:00 UTC	Cat 2 109 mph
Havana, Havana, Cuba	19 mi	Nov 19 · 19:00 UTC	Cat 1 93 mph
Tallahassee, Florida	22 mi	Nov 22 · 02:00 UTC	Cat 1 86 mph
Savannah, Georgia	37 mi	Nov 22 · 12:00 UTC	TS 58 mph
Columbia, South Carolina	74 mi	Nov 22 · 15:00 UTC	TS 55 mph
Charleston, South Carolina	33 mi	Nov 22 · 15:00 UTC	TS 55 mph
North Charleston, South Carolina	28 mi	Nov 22 · 15:00 UTC	TS 55 mph
Wilmington, North Carolina	14 mi	Nov 22 · 21:00 UTC	TS 49 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
Nov 15 18:00	TS	40 mph	999 mb	21.1°N 63.8°W	open ocean
Nov 16 00:00	TS	52 mph	998 mb	21.6°N 63.9°W	open ocean
Nov 16 06:00	TS	58 mph	996 mb	21.7°N 64.2°W	open ocean
Nov 16 12:00	TS	63 mph	993 mb	21.5°N 64.8°W	open ocean
Nov 16 18:00	Cat 1	81 mph	987 mb	21.1°N 65.3°W	open ocean
Nov 17 00:00	Cat 1	86 mph	981 mb	20.7°N 66.0°W	155 mi N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nov 17 06:00	Cat 1	86 mph	984 mb	20.4°N 66.4°W	135 mi N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nov 17 12:00	Cat 1	86 mph	982 mb	20.7°N 67.3°W	153 mi N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
Nov 17 18:00	Cat 1	92 mph	977 mb	21.1°N 68.8°W	137 mi NNE of Nagua, Dominican Republic
Nov 18 00:00	Cat 1	92 mph	976 mb	21.4°N 70.0°W	120 mi NNE of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Nov 18 06:00	Cat 1	92 mph	975 mb	21.6°N 71.8°W	32 mi ESE of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Nov 18 12:00	Cat 1	92 mph	975 mb	21.6°N 73.3°W	68 mi W of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Nov 18 18:00	Cat 2	98 mph	972 mb	21.9°N 75.1°W	76 mi NNE of Banes, Holguín Province, Cuba
Nov 19 00:00	Cat 2	109 mph	967 mb	22.1°N 76.8°W	49 mi NE of Nuevitas, Camagüey, Cuba
Nov 19 06:00	Cat 2	109 mph	968 mb	22.1°N 78.4°W	11 mi N of Primero de Enero, Ciego de Ávila Province, Cuba
Nov 19 12:00	Cat 2	104 mph	971 mb	22.7°N 80.2°W	near Santo Domingo, Villa Clara Province, Cuba
Nov 19 18:00	Cat 1	92 mph	976 mb	23.2°N 81.9°W	near Santa Cruz del Norte, Mayabeque, Cuba
Nov 20 00:00	Cat 2	98 mph	972 mb	23.9°N 83.5°W	72 mi NNW of Bahía Honda, Artemisa, Cuba
Nov 20 06:00	Cat 2	109 mph	968 mb	24.6°N 84.5°W	143 mi NNW of Minas de Matahambre, Pinar del Río, Cuba
Nov 20 12:00	Cat 3	121 mph	956 mb	25.2°N 85.3°W	open ocean
Nov 20 18:00	Cat 3	121 mph	955 mb	26.0°N 86.0°W	open ocean
Nov 21 00:00	Cat 3	121 mph	954 mb	26.8°N 86.5°W	open ocean
Nov 21 06:00	Cat 3	115 mph	961 mb	27.5°N 86.6°W	open ocean
Nov 21 12:00	Cat 2	109 mph	965 mb	28.3°N 86.5°W	138 mi SSW of Panama City, Florida
Nov 21 18:00	Cat 2	98 mph	967 mb	29.2°N 86.1°W	71 mi SSW of Panama City, Florida
Nov 21 23:00	Cat 2 LANDFALL	98 mph	967 mb	30.0°N 85.4°W	15 mi SE of Callaway, Florida
Nov 22 00:00	Cat 1	92 mph	975 mb	30.2°N 85.1°W	28 mi E of Callaway, Florida
Nov 22 06:00	Cat 1	75 mph	983 mb	31.5°N 83.5°W	near Tifton, Georgia
Nov 22 12:00	TS	58 mph	990 mb	32.5°N 81.5°W	17 mi ENE of Statesboro, Georgia
Nov 22 18:00	TS	52 mph	996 mb	33.7°N 79.2°W	12 mi W of Socastee, South Carolina
Nov 23 00:00	TS	46 mph	1003 mb	34.7°N 76.2°W	42 mi ESE of Havelock, North Carolina
Nov 23 06:00	TS	40 mph	1005 mb	34.4°N 73.5°W	open ocean
Nov 23 12:00	TS	40 mph	1006 mb	34.0°N 72.0°W	open ocean
Nov 23 18:00	TS extratropical	40 mph	1006 mb	33.5°N 70.5°W	open ocean

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Kate make landfall?

Kate made landfall once: 15 mi SE of Callaway, Florida on November 21, 1985 at 23:00 UTC, as a Category 2 hurricane with 98 mph winds.

What category was Kate?

At its peak on November 20, 1985, Kate was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 121 mph (194 km/h) and a central pressure of 954 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 2 hurricane.

How long did Kate last?

8.0 days, from November 15, 1985 to November 23, 1985, including 138 hours at hurricane strength (24 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 2,846 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Kate?

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 Kate

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1976	Hurricane Kate Central Pacific	Cat 1 92 mph	—	→
1985	Hurricane Kate · this page Atlantic	Cat 3 121 mph	Florida
2003	Hurricane Kate Atlantic	Cat 3 127 mph	—	→
2015	Hurricane Kate Atlantic	Cat 1 86 mph	—	→
2021	Tropical Storm Kate Atlantic	TS 46 mph	—

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

Strongest storms of 1985

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1985	Hurricane Gloria Atlantic	Cat 4 144 mph	North Carolina, New York	→
1985	Hurricane Rick Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 144 mph	—	→
1985	Hurricane Ignacio Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 132 mph	—	→
1985	Hurricane Jimena Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 132 mph	—	→
1985	Hurricane Elena Atlantic	Cat 3 127 mph	Mississippi	→
1985	Hurricane Sandra Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 127 mph	—	→
1985	Hurricane Blanca Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 121 mph	—	→
1985	Hurricane Dolores Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→

See every 1985 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Kate on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormHurricane Juan (1985)Next Atlantic storm →Hurricane Bonnie (1986)

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