Hurricane Nora (1997)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Eastern Pacific · September 16–26, 1997

Peak wind

132 mph

213 km/h · Sep 21

Peak category

Cat 4

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

950 mb

Landfalls

Baja California Sur, Mexico

Lifetime

10.0 d

Sep 16 – Sep 26

Distance

2,098 mi

3,375 km

ACE

23.4

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 Nora

Hurricane Nora (1997) was a Category 4 hurricane of the 1997 Eastern Pacific season. It formed on September 16, 1997, 311 mi SSW of Acapulco de Juárez, Guerrero, Mexico, reached its peak of 132 mph (213 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 950 mb on September 21, 1997, and made landfall 2 times — first 52 mi WSW of Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico on September 25, 1997 as a Category 1 hurricane (86 mph). Later landfalls: at 29.3°N, 114.8°W on September 25, 1997 as a Category 1 hurricane (81 mph). It rapidly intensified by 57 mph in 24 hours (to 132 mph on September 21, 1997). The storm lasted 10.0 days and travelled about 2,098 miles (3,375 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 25, 1997 · 07:00 UTC	52 mi WSW of Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico	Cat 1 86 mph	981 mb
September 25, 1997 · 11:00 UTC	at 29.3°N, 114.8°W	Cat 1 81 mph	983 mb

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico	38 mi	Sep 25 · 20:00 UTC	TS 54 mph
Henderson, Nevada	48 mi	Sep 26 · 05:00 UTC	TD 30 mph
Paradise, Nevada	58 mi	Sep 26 · 05:00 UTC	TD 30 mph
Spring Valley, Nevada	63 mi	Sep 26 · 05:00 UTC	TD 30 mph
Enterprise, Nevada	61 mi	Sep 26 · 05:00 UTC	TD 30 mph
Las Vegas, Nevada	58 mi	Sep 26 · 06:00 UTC	TD 29 mph
North Las Vegas, Nevada	57 mi	Sep 26 · 06:00 UTC	TD 29 mph
Sunrise Manor, Nevada	55 mi	Sep 26 · 06:00 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 43 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Sep 16 06:00	TD	29 mph	1004 mb	12.7°N 101.7°W	open ocean
Sep 16 12:00	TD	35 mph	1003 mb	13.2°N 101.9°W	open ocean
Sep 16 18:00	TS	40 mph	1001 mb	13.6°N 102.1°W	open ocean
Sep 17 00:00	TS	46 mph	1000 mb	13.9°N 102.3°W	open ocean
Sep 17 06:00	TS	46 mph	998 mb	14.0°N 102.4°W	open ocean
Sep 17 12:00	TS	58 mph	996 mb	14.1°N 102.5°W	open ocean
Sep 17 18:00	TS	63 mph	994 mb	14.3°N 102.7°W	open ocean
Sep 18 00:00	TS	63 mph	990 mb	14.3°N 102.9°W	open ocean
Sep 18 06:00	TS	69 mph	990 mb	14.3°N 103.2°W	open ocean
Sep 18 12:00	Cat 1	86 mph	980 mb	14.1°N 103.5°W	open ocean
Sep 18 18:00	Cat 2	104 mph	970 mb	14.1°N 103.7°W	open ocean
Sep 19 00:00	Cat 2	104 mph	972 mb	14.3°N 103.9°W	open ocean
Sep 19 06:00	Cat 2	98 mph	973 mb	14.4°N 104.0°W	open ocean
Sep 19 12:00	Cat 1	92 mph	974 mb	14.5°N 104.1°W	open ocean
Sep 19 18:00	Cat 1	92 mph	976 mb	14.6°N 104.2°W	open ocean
Sep 20 00:00	Cat 1	81 mph	978 mb	14.8°N 104.5°W	open ocean
Sep 20 06:00	Cat 1	81 mph	982 mb	15.1°N 104.9°W	open ocean
Sep 20 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	987 mb	15.4°N 105.5°W	open ocean
Sep 20 18:00	Cat 1	81 mph	985 mb	15.6°N 106.2°W	open ocean
Sep 21 00:00	Cat 1	86 mph	979 mb	15.8°N 106.7°W	open ocean
Sep 21 06:00	Cat 2	109 mph	970 mb	16.1°N 107.3°W	open ocean
Sep 21 12:00	Cat 4	132 mph	950 mb	16.6°N 108.0°W	open ocean
Sep 21 18:00	Cat 3	127 mph	951 mb	17.2°N 108.9°W	open ocean
Sep 22 00:00	Cat 3	127 mph	952 mb	17.7°N 109.7°W	open ocean
Sep 22 06:00	Cat 3	127 mph	953 mb	18.0°N 110.5°W	open ocean
Sep 22 12:00	Cat 3	127 mph	955 mb	18.5°N 111.2°W	open ocean
Sep 22 18:00	Cat 3	121 mph	957 mb	18.9°N 111.8°W	open ocean
Sep 23 00:00	Cat 2	109 mph	961 mb	19.3°N 112.3°W	open ocean
Sep 23 06:00	Cat 2	104 mph	973 mb	19.8°N 112.9°W	open ocean
Sep 23 12:00	Cat 1	92 mph	983 mb	20.2°N 113.3°W	open ocean
Sep 23 18:00	Cat 1	81 mph	980 mb	20.7°N 113.7°W	open ocean
Sep 24 00:00	Cat 1	86 mph	979 mb	21.5°N 114.1°W	open ocean
Sep 24 06:00	Cat 1	86 mph	979 mb	22.3°N 114.5°W	open ocean
Sep 24 12:00	Cat 1	86 mph	979 mb	23.2°N 114.8°W	open ocean
Sep 24 18:00	Cat 1	86 mph	979 mb	24.2°N 114.8°W	open ocean
Sep 25 00:00	Cat 1	86 mph	979 mb	25.8°N 114.8°W	156 mi SSW of Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Sep 25 06:00	Cat 1	86 mph	981 mb	27.5°N 114.8°W	56 mi SW of Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Sep 25 07:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	86 mph	981 mb	27.6°N 114.8°W	52 mi WSW of Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Sep 25 11:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	81 mph	983 mb	29.3°N 114.8°W	103 mi NNW of Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Sep 25 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	984 mb	29.5°N 114.8°W	98 mi SE of Lázaro Cárdenas, Baja California, Mexico
Sep 25 18:00	TS	63 mph	990 mb	31.7°N 114.9°W	42 mi SSE of Ciudad Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico
Sep 26 00:00	TD	35 mph	997 mb	34.0°N 114.7°W	28 mi NNW of Blythe, California
Sep 26 06:00	TD	29 mph	1004 mb	36.1°N 114.1°W	49 mi E of Henderson, Nevada

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Nora make landfall?

Nora made landfall 2 times: 52 mi WSW of Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico on September 25, 1997 at 07:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds; at 29.3°N, 114.8°W on September 25, 1997 at 11:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds.

What category was Nora?

At its peak on September 21, 1997, Nora was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 132 mph (213 km/h) and a central pressure of 950 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 1 hurricane.

How long did Nora last?

10.0 days, from September 16, 1997 to September 26, 1997, including 174 hours at hurricane strength (36 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 2,098 miles.

Where can I download the track data for Nora?

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 Nora

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1985	Tropical Storm Nora Eastern Pacific	TS 46 mph	—
1991	Hurricane Nora Eastern Pacific	Cat 2 104 mph	—	→
1997	Hurricane Nora · this page Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 132 mph	Baja California Sur, Mexico
2003	Hurricane Nora Eastern Pacific	Cat 2 104 mph	Sinaloa, Mexico	→
2009	Tropical Storm Nora Eastern Pacific	TS 58 mph	—
2015	Tropical Storm Nora Eastern Pacific	TS 69 mph	—
2021	Hurricane Nora Eastern Pacific	Cat 1 86 mph	Jalisco, Mexico, Sinaloa, Mexico	→

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

Strongest storms of 1997

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1997	Hurricane Linda Eastern Pacific	Cat 5 184 mph	—	→
1997	Hurricane Paka Central Pacific	Cat 5 184 mph	—	→
1997	Hurricane Guillermo Eastern Pacific	Cat 5 161 mph	—	→
1997	Hurricane Oliwa Central Pacific	Cat 5 161 mph	—	→
1997	Hurricane Jimena Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 138 mph	—	→
1997	Hurricane Felicia Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 132 mph	—	→
1997	Hurricane Pauline Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 132 mph	Oaxaca, Mexico	→
1997	Hurricane Erika Atlantic	Cat 3 127 mph	—	→

See every 1997 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Nora on Wikipedia.

← Previous Eastern Pacific stormHurricane Linda (1997)Next Eastern Pacific storm →Tropical Storm Olaf (1997)

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