Hurricane Laura (2020)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · August 20–29, 2020

Peak wind

150 mph

241 km/h · Aug 27

Peak category

Cat 4

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

937 mb

Landfalls

Louisiana · Granma Province, Cuba

Lifetime

9.3 d

Aug 20 – Aug 29

Distance

4,160 mi

6,693 km

ACE

13.1

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 Laura

Hurricane Laura (2020) was a Category 4 hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season. It formed on August 20, 2020, reached its peak of 150 mph (241 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 937 mb on August 27, 2020, and made landfall 6 times — first near Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda on August 21, 2020 as a tropical storm (46 mph). Later landfalls: 16 mi SSE of Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis on August 22, 2020 as a tropical storm (46 mph); near Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on August 23, 2020 as a tropical storm (52 mph); 18 mi SSW of Guisa, Granma Province, Cuba on August 24, 2020 as a tropical storm (63 mph); and more. It rapidly intensified by 64 mph in 24 hours (to 150 mph on August 27, 2020). The storm lasted 9.3 days and travelled about 4,160 miles (6,693 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
August 21, 2020 · 21:00 UTC	near Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda	TS 46 mph	1007 mb
August 22, 2020 · 00:00 UTC	16 mi SSE of Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis	TS 46 mph	1007 mb
August 23, 2020 · 05:00 UTC	near Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	TS 52 mph	1004 mb
August 24, 2020 · 02:00 UTC	18 mi SSW of Guisa, Granma Province, Cuba	TS 63 mph	1000 mb
August 25, 2020 · 00:00 UTC	20 mi SE of Consolación del Sur, Pinar del Río, Cuba	TS 63 mph	998 mb
August 27, 2020 · 06:00 UTC	29 mi SSW of Lake Charles, Louisiana	Cat 4 150 mph	939 mb

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
San Juan, Puerto Rico	51 mi	Aug 22 · 13:00 UTC	TS 52 mph
Santo Domingo Este, Dominican Republic	10 mi	Aug 23 · 04:00 UTC	TS 52 mph
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	direct hit	Aug 23 · 05:00 UTC	TS 52 mph
Santo Domingo Oeste, Dominican Republic	direct hit	Aug 23 · 05:00 UTC	TS 52 mph
Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic	61 mi	Aug 23 · 08:00 UTC	TS 52 mph
Port-au-Prince, Haiti	18 mi	Aug 23 · 12:00 UTC	TS 52 mph
Carrefour, Haiti	20 mi	Aug 23 · 12:00 UTC	TS 52 mph
Delmas, Haiti	18 mi	Aug 23 · 12:00 UTC	TS 52 mph
Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba	19 mi	Aug 24 · 00:00 UTC	TS 63 mph
Louisville, Kentucky	16 mi	Aug 29 · 04:00 UTC	TD 25 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 42 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Aug 20 00:00	TD	35 mph	1008 mb	14.4°N 47.3°W	open ocean
Aug 20 06:00	TD	35 mph	1008 mb	15.4°N 49.6°W	open ocean
Aug 20 12:00	TD	35 mph	1008 mb	16.1°N 51.6°W	open ocean
Aug 20 18:00	TD	35 mph	1008 mb	16.6°N 53.4°W	open ocean
Aug 21 00:00	TD	35 mph	1008 mb	16.8°N 55.5°W	open ocean
Aug 21 06:00	TD	35 mph	1008 mb	16.9°N 57.5°W	open ocean
Aug 21 12:00	TS	46 mph	1008 mb	17.0°N 59.4°W	134 mi ENE of Saint-François, Guadeloupe
Aug 21 18:00	TS	46 mph	1007 mb	17.1°N 61.1°W	49 mi E of Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
Aug 21 21:00	TS LANDFALL	46 mph	1007 mb	17.1°N 61.8°W	near Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
Aug 22 00:00	TS LANDFALL	46 mph	1007 mb	17.1°N 62.6°W	16 mi SSE of Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Aug 22 00:00	TS	46 mph	1007 mb	17.1°N 62.8°W	14 mi SSW of Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Aug 22 06:00	TS	46 mph	1007 mb	17.4°N 64.4°W	32 mi SE of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Aug 22 12:00	TS	52 mph	1006 mb	17.7°N 65.9°W	24 mi SE of Guayama, Puerto Rico
Aug 22 18:00	TS	52 mph	1004 mb	17.9°N 67.4°W	21 mi SW of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Aug 23 00:00	TS	52 mph	1004 mb	18.2°N 68.8°W	19 mi SE of La Romana, Dominican Republic
Aug 23 05:00	TS LANDFALL	52 mph	1004 mb	18.4°N 70.0°W	near Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Aug 23 06:00	TS	52 mph	1004 mb	18.5°N 70.3°W	14 mi WNW of San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
Aug 23 12:00	TS	52 mph	1004 mb	18.8°N 72.3°W	18 mi N of Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Aug 23 18:00	TS	63 mph	1002 mb	19.4°N 74.3°W	53 mi NNW of Jérémie, Haiti
Aug 24 00:00	TS	63 mph	1000 mb	19.8°N 76.0°W	19 mi SW of Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba
Aug 24 02:00	TS LANDFALL	63 mph	1000 mb	20.0°N 76.6°W	18 mi SSW of Guisa, Granma Province, Cuba
Aug 24 06:00	TS	58 mph	1000 mb	20.2°N 77.8°W	18 mi NW of Niquero, Granma Province, Cuba
Aug 24 12:00	TS	58 mph	1002 mb	20.8°N 79.7°W	71 mi SSE of Trinidad, Sancti Spíritus Province, Cuba
Aug 24 18:00	TS	58 mph	1001 mb	21.5°N 81.5°W	75 mi SSW of Jagüey Grande, Matanzas Province, Cuba
Aug 25 00:00	TS LANDFALL	63 mph	998 mb	22.3°N 83.3°W	20 mi SE of Consolación del Sur, Pinar del Río, Cuba
Aug 25 06:00	TS	69 mph	995 mb	22.8°N 84.8°W	48 mi NW of Mantua, Pinar del Río, Cuba
Aug 25 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	990 mb	23.4°N 86.2°W	144 mi WNW of Mantua, Pinar del Río, Cuba
Aug 25 18:00	Cat 1	81 mph	990 mb	24.1°N 87.5°W	open ocean
Aug 26 00:00	Cat 1	86 mph	983 mb	24.9°N 88.9°W	open ocean
Aug 26 06:00	Cat 2	104 mph	978 mb	25.6°N 90.2°W	open ocean
Aug 26 12:00	Cat 3	115 mph	963 mb	26.4°N 91.4°W	open ocean
Aug 26 18:00	Cat 4	138 mph	952 mb	27.3°N 92.5°W	183 mi SSW of Morgan City, Louisiana
Aug 27 00:00	Cat 4	150 mph	937 mb	28.5°N 93.0°W	111 mi SSE of Port Arthur, Texas
Aug 27 06:00	Cat 4 LANDFALL	150 mph	939 mb	29.8°N 93.3°W	29 mi SSW of Lake Charles, Louisiana
Aug 27 12:00	Cat 2	98 mph	970 mb	31.2°N 93.3°W	24 mi N of DeRidder, Louisiana
Aug 27 18:00	TS	63 mph	988 mb	32.8°N 92.9°W	24 mi NW of Ruston, Louisiana
Aug 28 00:00	TS	40 mph	993 mb	34.4°N 92.5°W	12 mi SSE of Benton, Arkansas
Aug 28 06:00	TD	29 mph	998 mb	35.4°N 92.0°W	18 mi NW of Searcy, Arkansas
Aug 28 12:00	TD	29 mph	1000 mb	36.1°N 91.2°W	33 mi WNW of Jonesboro, Arkansas
Aug 28 18:00	TD	29 mph	1003 mb	37.0°N 90.0°W	24 mi WNW of Sikeston, Missouri
Aug 29 00:00	TD	29 mph	1004 mb	37.5°N 88.0°W	30 mi WNW of Madisonville, Kentucky
Aug 29 06:00	TD low/wave	23 mph	1004 mb	38.3°N 84.8°W	near Frankfort, Kentucky

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Laura make landfall?

Laura made landfall 6 times: near Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda on August 21, 2020 at 21:00 UTC, as a tropical storm with 46 mph winds; 16 mi SSE of Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis on August 22, 2020 at 00:00 UTC, as a tropical storm with 46 mph winds; near Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on August 23, 2020 at 05:00 UTC, as a tropical storm with 52 mph winds; 18 mi SSW of Guisa, Granma Province, Cuba on August 24, 2020 at 02:00 UTC, as a tropical storm with 63 mph winds; 20 mi SE of Consolación del Sur, Pinar del Río, Cuba on August 25, 2020 at 00:00 UTC, as a tropical storm with 63 mph winds; 29 mi SSW of Lake Charles, Louisiana on August 27, 2020 at 06:00 UTC, as a Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds.

What category was Laura?

At its peak on August 27, 2020, Laura was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (241 km/h) and a central pressure of 937 mb. At its first landfall it was a tropical storm.

How long did Laura last?

9.3 days, from August 20, 2020 to August 29, 2020, including 54 hours at hurricane strength (24 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 4,160 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Laura?

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 Laura

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1971	Tropical Storm Laura Atlantic	TS 69 mph	—	→
2008	Hurricane Laura Atlantic	Cat 1 81 mph	—	→
2020	Hurricane Laura · this page Atlantic	Cat 4 150 mph	Louisiana, Granma Province, Cuba

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

Strongest storms of 2020

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
2020	Hurricane Iota Atlantic	Cat 4 155 mph	Nicaragua	→
2020	Hurricane Eta Atlantic	Cat 4 150 mph	Nicaragua, Sancti Spíritus Province, Cuba	→
2020	Hurricane Teddy Atlantic	Cat 4 138 mph	—	→
2020	Hurricane Delta Atlantic	Cat 4 138 mph	Quintana Roo, Mexico, Louisiana	→
2020	Hurricane Marie Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 138 mph	—	→
2020	Hurricane Douglas Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 132 mph	—	→
2020	Hurricane Genevieve Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 132 mph	—	→
2020	Hurricane Epsilon Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→

See every 2020 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Laura on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormHurricane Isaias (2020)Next Atlantic storm →Hurricane Marco (2020)

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