Hurricane Rita (2005)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · September 18–26, 2005

Peak wind

178 mph

287 km/h · Sep 22

Peak category

Cat 5

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

895 mb

Landfalls

Texas

Lifetime

8.3 d

Sep 18 – Sep 26

Distance

2,468 mi

3,970 km

ACE

25.1

storm energy

Deaths

120

per Wikidata

Damage

$12 B

nominal USD

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 Rita

Hurricane Rita (2005) was a Category 5 hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic season. It formed on September 18, 2005, 116 mi NNE of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, reached its peak of 178 mph (287 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 895 mb on September 22, 2005, and made landfall 19 mi SE of Port Arthur, Texas on September 24, 2005 as a Category 3 hurricane (115 mph). It rapidly intensified by 69 mph in 24 hours (to 167 mph on September 21, 2005). The storm lasted 8.3 days and travelled about 2,468 miles (3,970 km). According to Wikidata, it caused 120 deaths and about $12 billion in damage (nominal USD).

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
September 24, 2005 · 08:00 UTC	19 mi SE of Port Arthur, Texas	Cat 3 115 mph	937 mb

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
Havana, Havana, Cuba	62 mi	Sep 20 · 21:00 UTC	Cat 2 104 mph
Beaumont, Texas	12 mi	Sep 24 · 10:00 UTC	Cat 1 95 mph
Tyler, Texas	74 mi	Sep 24 · 22:00 UTC	TS 44 mph
Shreveport, Louisiana	16 mi	Sep 24 · 23:00 UTC	TS 42 mph
Little Rock, Arkansas	10 mi	Sep 25 · 13:00 UTC	TD 29 mph
St. Louis, Missouri	67 mi	Sep 26 · 03:00 UTC	TD 23 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 36 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Sep 18 00:00	TD	29 mph	1009 mb	21.3°N 69.9°W	116 mi NNE of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Sep 18 06:00	TD	29 mph	1009 mb	21.6°N 70.7°W	100 mi E of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Sep 18 12:00	TD	35 mph	1007 mb	21.9°N 71.5°W	49 mi E of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Sep 18 18:00	TS	40 mph	1005 mb	22.2°N 72.3°W	29 mi N of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Sep 19 00:00	TS	52 mph	1002 mb	22.4°N 73.0°W	64 mi NW of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Sep 19 06:00	TS	58 mph	999 mb	22.6°N 73.8°W	114 mi WNW of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Sep 19 12:00	TS	63 mph	997 mb	22.8°N 74.7°W	143 mi NNE of Banes, Holguín Province, Cuba
Sep 19 18:00	TS	69 mph	994 mb	23.1°N 75.9°W	139 mi NNE of Puerto Padre, Las Tunas Province, Cuba
Sep 20 00:00	TS	69 mph	992 mb	23.3°N 77.2°W	122 mi S of Nassau, Bahamas
Sep 20 06:00	TS	69 mph	990 mb	23.5°N 78.8°W	80 mi NNE of Caibarién, Villa Clara Province, Cuba
Sep 20 12:00	Cat 1	81 mph	985 mb	23.7°N 80.3°W	53 mi NNE of Corralillo, Villa Clara Province, Cuba
Sep 20 18:00	Cat 2	98 mph	975 mb	23.9°N 81.6°W	47 mi SSE of Key West, Florida
Sep 21 00:00	Cat 2	109 mph	967 mb	24.1°N 82.7°W	70 mi NNW of Havana, Havana, Cuba
Sep 21 06:00	Cat 3	127 mph	955 mb	24.2°N 84.0°W	104 mi NNW of Bahía Honda, Artemisa, Cuba
Sep 21 12:00	Cat 4	138 mph	941 mb	24.2°N 85.2°W	137 mi NW of Minas de Matahambre, Pinar del Río, Cuba
Sep 21 18:00	Cat 5	167 mph	920 mb	24.3°N 86.2°W	186 mi NW of Minas de Matahambre, Pinar del Río, Cuba
Sep 22 00:00	Cat 5	173 mph	897 mb	24.5°N 86.9°W	open ocean
Sep 22 03:00	Cat 5	178 mph	895 mb	24.7°N 87.3°W	open ocean
Sep 22 06:00	Cat 5	178 mph	897 mb	24.8°N 87.6°W	open ocean
Sep 22 12:00	Cat 5	161 mph	908 mb	25.2°N 88.3°W	open ocean
Sep 22 18:00	Cat 4	144 mph	913 mb	25.6°N 89.1°W	open ocean
Sep 23 00:00	Cat 4	138 mph	915 mb	26.0°N 89.9°W	open ocean
Sep 23 06:00	Cat 4	132 mph	924 mb	26.5°N 90.7°W	open ocean
Sep 23 12:00	Cat 4	132 mph	927 mb	27.1°N 91.5°W	179 mi SSW of Houma, Louisiana
Sep 23 18:00	Cat 3	127 mph	930 mb	27.8°N 92.3°W	147 mi SSW of Morgan City, Louisiana
Sep 24 00:00	Cat 3	121 mph	931 mb	28.6°N 93.0°W	105 mi SSE of Port Arthur, Texas
Sep 24 06:00	Cat 3	115 mph	935 mb	29.4°N 93.6°W	39 mi SSE of Port Arthur, Texas
Sep 24 08:00	Cat 3 LANDFALL	115 mph	937 mb	29.7°N 93.7°W	19 mi SE of Port Arthur, Texas
Sep 24 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	949 mb	30.5°N 94.1°W	17 mi NNE of Lumberton, Texas
Sep 24 18:00	TS	52 mph	974 mb	31.6°N 94.1°W	33 mi E of Nacogdoches, Texas
Sep 25 00:00	TS	40 mph	982 mb	32.7°N 94.0°W	19 mi NW of Shreveport, Louisiana
Sep 25 06:00	TD	35 mph	989 mb	33.7°N 93.6°W	31 mi NE of Texarkana, Arkansas
Sep 25 12:00	TD	29 mph	995 mb	34.7°N 92.5°W	12 mi WSW of Little Rock, Arkansas
Sep 25 18:00	TD	29 mph	1000 mb	35.8°N 91.4°W	14 mi E of Batesville, Arkansas
Sep 26 00:00	TD	23 mph	1003 mb	37.0°N 90.1°W	23 mi NE of Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Sep 26 06:00	TD low/wave	23 mph	1006 mb	39.5°N 88.0°W	9 mi E of Charleston, Illinois

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Rita make landfall?

Rita made landfall once: 19 mi SE of Port Arthur, Texas on September 24, 2005 at 08:00 UTC, as a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds.

What category was Rita?

At its peak on September 22, 2005, Rita was a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 178 mph (287 km/h) and a central pressure of 895 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 3 hurricane.

How long did Rita last?

8.3 days, from September 18, 2005 to September 26, 2005, including 102 hours at hurricane strength (78 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 2,468 miles.

How many people died in Rita?

Wikidata records 120 deaths for Hurricane Rita. Casualty figures for tropical cyclones vary between sources; see the linked encyclopedia article for context.

Where can I download the track data for Rita?

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 2005

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
2005	Hurricane Wilma Atlantic	Cat 5 184 mph	Quintana Roo, Mexico, Florida	→
2005	Hurricane Katrina Atlantic	Cat 5 173 mph	Louisiana, Florida	→
2005	Hurricane Emily Atlantic	Cat 5 161 mph	Quintana Roo, Mexico, Tamaulipas, Mexico	→
2005	Hurricane Dennis Atlantic	Cat 4 150 mph	Granma Province, Cuba, Cienfuegos Province, Cuba	→
2005	Hurricane Kenneth Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 132 mph	—	→
2005	Hurricane Jova Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 127 mph	—	→
2005	Hurricane Maria Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→
2005	Hurricane Beta Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	Nicaragua	→

See every 2005 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Rita on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormHurricane Philippe (2005)Next Atlantic storm →Hurricane Stan (2005)

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