Hurricane Michelle (2001)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · October 29 – November 6, 2001

Peak wind

138 mph

222 km/h · Nov 4

Peak category

Cat 4

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

933 mb

Landfalls

Isla de la Juventud, Cuba · Matanzas Province, Cuba

Lifetime

8.0 d

Oct 29 – Nov 6

Distance

1,900 mi

3,057 km

ACE

15.6

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 Michelle

Hurricane Michelle (2001) was a Category 4 hurricane of the 2001 Atlantic season. It formed on October 29, 2001, 53 mi SSW of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, reached its peak of 138 mph (222 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 933 mb on November 4, 2001, and made landfall 4 times — first at 21.5°N, 81.8°W on November 4, 2001 as a Category 4 hurricane (138 mph). Later landfalls: 30 mi S of Jagüey Grande, Matanzas Province, Cuba on November 4, 2001 as a Category 4 hurricane (132 mph); 53 mi S of San Andros, Bahamas on November 5, 2001 as a Category 1 hurricane (92 mph); at 25.4°N, 76.4°W on November 5, 2001 as a Category 1 hurricane (86 mph). It rapidly intensified by 52 mph in 24 hours (to 121 mph on November 3, 2001). The storm lasted 8.0 days and travelled about 1,900 miles (3,057 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
November 4, 2001 · 18:00 UTC	at 21.5°N, 81.8°W	Cat 4 138 mph	949 mb
November 4, 2001 · 23:00 UTC	30 mi S of Jagüey Grande, Matanzas Province, Cuba	Cat 4 132 mph	950 mb
November 5, 2001 · 12:00 UTC	53 mi S of San Andros, Bahamas	Cat 1 92 mph	974 mb
November 5, 2001 · 18:00 UTC	at 25.4°N, 76.4°W	Cat 1 86 mph	980 mb

04 · Timeline

Every official fix 35 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Oct 29 18:00	TD	35 mph	1004 mb	13.3°N 83.6°W	53 mi SSW of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Oct 30 00:00	TD	35 mph	1004 mb	13.7°N 83.6°W	27 mi SSW of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Oct 30 06:00	TD	35 mph	1005 mb	13.7°N 84.1°W	46 mi E of Siuna, Nicaragua
Oct 30 12:00	TD	35 mph	1005 mb	13.3°N 83.9°W	61 mi SW of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Oct 30 18:00	TD	35 mph	1006 mb	13.0°N 83.5°W	71 mi NNE of Bluefields, Nicaragua
Oct 31 00:00	TD	35 mph	1004 mb	13.7°N 83.6°W	27 mi SSW of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Oct 31 06:00	TD	35 mph	1005 mb	14.3°N 83.4°W	18 mi N of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Oct 31 12:00	TD	35 mph	1004 mb	14.8°N 83.2°W	54 mi NNE of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Oct 31 18:00	TD	35 mph	1004 mb	15.3°N 83.1°W	90 mi NNE of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Nov 1 00:00	TS	40 mph	1001 mb	15.8°N 83.1°W	92 mi E of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Nov 1 06:00	TS	52 mph	999 mb	16.5°N 83.4°W	89 mi NE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Nov 1 12:00	TS	58 mph	995 mb	16.8°N 83.6°W	93 mi NE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Nov 1 18:00	TS	58 mph	993 mb	17.0°N 83.8°W	98 mi NNE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Nov 2 00:00	TS	63 mph	991 mb	17.3°N 83.9°W	114 mi NNE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Nov 2 06:00	TS	69 mph	988 mb	17.5°N 83.9°W	127 mi NNE of Brus Laguna, Honduras
Nov 2 12:00	Cat 1	81 mph	979 mb	17.8°N 84.0°W	146 mi NNE of Iriona, Honduras
Nov 2 18:00	Cat 1	92 mph	969 mb	18.0°N 84.0°W	158 mi NNE of Iriona, Honduras
Nov 3 00:00	Cat 2	104 mph	957 mb	18.5°N 84.0°W	180 mi WSW of George Town, Cayman Islands
Nov 3 06:00	Cat 3	121 mph	942 mb	18.8°N 84.3°W	open ocean
Nov 3 12:00	Cat 4	132 mph	937 mb	18.9°N 84.3°W	open ocean
Nov 3 18:00	Cat 3	127 mph	934 mb	19.3°N 84.1°W	178 mi W of George Town, Cayman Islands
Nov 3 21:00	Cat 3	127 mph	933 mb	19.4°N 83.9°W	165 mi W of George Town, Cayman Islands
Nov 4 00:00	Cat 4	132 mph	938 mb	19.7°N 83.7°W	152 mi W of West Bay, Cayman Islands
Nov 4 06:00	Cat 4	138 mph	944 mb	20.1°N 83.3°W	128 mi SSW of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Nov 4 12:00	Cat 4	138 mph	947 mb	20.8°N 82.5°W	78 mi SSE of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Nov 4 18:00	Cat 4 LANDFALL	138 mph	949 mb	21.5°N 81.8°W	70 mi ESE of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Nov 4 23:00	Cat 4 LANDFALL	132 mph	950 mb	22.1°N 81.2°W	30 mi S of Jagüey Grande, Matanzas Province, Cuba
Nov 5 00:00	Cat 3	121 mph	953 mb	22.3°N 80.9°W	near Aguada de Pasajeros, Cienfuegos Province, Cuba
Nov 5 06:00	Cat 1	92 mph	972 mb	23.1°N 79.7°W	31 mi NE of Sagua la Grande, Villa Clara Province, Cuba
Nov 5 12:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	92 mph	974 mb	24.3°N 78.0°W	67 mi SW of Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 5 18:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	86 mph	980 mb	25.4°N 76.4°W	64 mi ENE of Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 6 00:00	Cat 1 extratropical	86 mph	980 mb	26.3°N 74.5°W	open ocean
Nov 6 06:00	Cat 1 extratropical	86 mph	980 mb	26.9°N 72.6°W	open ocean
Nov 6 12:00	Cat 1 extratropical	75 mph	984 mb	27.3°N 69.7°W	open ocean
Nov 6 18:00	TS extratropical	63 mph	989 mb	28.7°N 66.5°W	open ocean

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Michelle make landfall?

Michelle made landfall 4 times: at 21.5°N, 81.8°W on November 4, 2001 at 18:00 UTC, as a Category 4 hurricane with 138 mph winds; 30 mi S of Jagüey Grande, Matanzas Province, Cuba on November 4, 2001 at 23:00 UTC, as a Category 4 hurricane with 132 mph winds; 53 mi S of San Andros, Bahamas on November 5, 2001 at 12:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 92 mph winds; at 25.4°N, 76.4°W on November 5, 2001 at 18:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds.

What category was Michelle?

At its peak on November 4, 2001, Michelle was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 138 mph (222 km/h) and a central pressure of 933 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 4 hurricane.

How long did Michelle last?

8.0 days, from October 29, 2001 to November 6, 2001, including 84 hours at hurricane strength (48 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 1,900 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Michelle?

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 2001

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
2001	Hurricane Iris Atlantic	Cat 4 144 mph	Belize	→
2001	Hurricane Adolph Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 144 mph	—	→
2001	Hurricane Juliette Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 144 mph	Baja California Sur, Mexico	→
2001	Hurricane Erin Atlantic	Cat 3 121 mph	—	→
2001	Hurricane Felix Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→
2001	Hurricane Humberto Atlantic	Cat 2 104 mph	—	→
2001	Hurricane Flossie Eastern Pacific	Cat 2 104 mph	—	→
2001	Hurricane Gil Eastern Pacific	Cat 2 98 mph	—	→

See every 2001 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Michelle on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormHurricane Karen (2001)Next Atlantic storm →Hurricane Noel (2001)

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