Hurricane Sandy (2012)

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · October 21–31, 2012

Peak wind

115 mph

185 km/h · Oct 25

Peak category

Cat 3

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

940 mb

Landfalls

Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba · Jamaica

Lifetime

9.8 d

Oct 21 – Oct 31

Distance

2,682 mi

4,316 km

ACE

13.7

storm energy

Deaths

254

per Wikidata

Damage

$69 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 Sandy

Hurricane Sandy (2012) was a Category 3 hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic season. It formed on October 21, 2012, 259 mi S of Kingston, Jamaica, reached its peak of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 940 mb on October 25, 2012, and made landfall 3 times — first 14 mi ESE of Kingston, Jamaica on October 24, 2012 as a Category 1 hurricane (86 mph). Later landfalls: 12 mi W of Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba on October 25, 2012 as a Category 3 hurricane (115 mph); near Atlantic City, New Jersey on October 30, 2012 as a Category 1 hurricane (81 mph). It rapidly intensified by 46 mph in 24 hours (to 115 mph on October 25, 2012). The storm lasted 9.8 days and travelled about 2,682 miles (4,316 km). According to Wikidata, it caused 254 deaths and about $69 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

Landfalls and cities in the path

Landfall (UTC)	Where	Strength	Pressure
October 24, 2012 · 19:00 UTC	14 mi ESE of Kingston, Jamaica	Cat 1 86 mph	971 mb
October 25, 2012 · 05:00 UTC	12 mi W of Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba	Cat 3 115 mph	954 mb
October 30, 2012 · 00:00 UTC	near Atlantic City, New Jersey	Cat 1 81 mph	945 mb

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
Kingston, Jamaica	14 mi	Oct 24 · 19:00 UTC	Cat 1 86 mph
New Kingston, Jamaica	14 mi	Oct 24 · 19:00 UTC	Cat 1 86 mph
Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba	12 mi	Oct 25 · 05:00 UTC	Cat 3 115 mph
Holguín, Holguín Province, Cuba	35 mi	Oct 25 · 08:00 UTC	Cat 3 111 mph
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	20 mi	Oct 30 · 03:00 UTC	TS 72 mph
Allentown, Pennsylvania	58 mi	Oct 30 · 05:00 UTC	TS 66 mph
Baltimore, Maryland	45 mi	Oct 30 · 07:00 UTC	TS 62 mph
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	21 mi	Oct 31 · 00:00 UTC	TS 40 mph
Cleveland, Ohio	52 mi	Oct 31 · 12:00 UTC	TD 35 mph
Akron, Ohio	51 mi	Oct 31 · 12:00 UTC	TD 35 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 45 positions

Date · UTC	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position	Nearest place
Oct 21 18:00	TD low/wave	29 mph	1006 mb	14.3°N 77.4°W	open ocean
Oct 22 00:00	TD low/wave	29 mph	1005 mb	13.9°N 77.8°W	open ocean
Oct 22 06:00	TD low/wave	29 mph	1003 mb	13.5°N 78.2°W	open ocean
Oct 22 12:00	TD	35 mph	1002 mb	13.1°N 78.6°W	open ocean
Oct 22 18:00	TS	40 mph	1000 mb	12.7°N 78.7°W	open ocean
Oct 23 00:00	TS	46 mph	998 mb	12.6°N 78.4°W	open ocean
Oct 23 06:00	TS	46 mph	998 mb	12.9°N 78.1°W	open ocean
Oct 23 12:00	TS	46 mph	995 mb	13.4°N 77.9°W	open ocean
Oct 23 18:00	TS	52 mph	993 mb	14.0°N 77.6°W	open ocean
Oct 24 00:00	TS	63 mph	990 mb	14.7°N 77.3°W	open ocean
Oct 24 06:00	TS	69 mph	987 mb	15.6°N 77.1°W	167 mi S of Kingston, Jamaica
Oct 24 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	981 mb	16.6°N 76.9°W	97 mi S of Kingston, Jamaica
Oct 24 18:00	Cat 1	86 mph	972 mb	17.7°N 76.7°W	21 mi SSE of Kingston, Jamaica
Oct 24 19:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL	86 mph	971 mb	17.9°N 76.6°W	14 mi ESE of Kingston, Jamaica
Oct 25 00:00	Cat 2	98 mph	964 mb	18.9°N 76.4°W	50 mi N of Port Antonio, Jamaica
Oct 25 05:00	Cat 3 LANDFALL	115 mph	954 mb	20.0°N 76.0°W	12 mi W of Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba
Oct 25 06:00	Cat 3	115 mph	954 mb	20.1°N 76.0°W	near Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba
Oct 25 09:00	Cat 2	109 mph	960 mb	20.9°N 75.7°W	near Banes, Holguín Province, Cuba
Oct 25 12:00	Cat 2	109 mph	966 mb	21.7°N 75.5°W	53 mi NNE of Banes, Holguín Province, Cuba
Oct 25 18:00	Cat 2	104 mph	963 mb	23.3°N 75.3°W	160 mi NNE of Gibara, Holguín Province, Cuba
Oct 26 00:00	Cat 1	86 mph	965 mb	24.8°N 75.9°W	92 mi E of Nassau, Bahamas
Oct 26 06:00	Cat 1	81 mph	968 mb	25.7°N 76.4°W	74 mi NE of Nassau, Bahamas
Oct 26 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	970 mb	26.4°N 76.9°W	97 mi NNE of Nassau, Bahamas
Oct 26 18:00	Cat 1	75 mph	971 mb	27.0°N 77.2°W	96 mi ENE of Lucaya, Bahamas
Oct 27 00:00	TS	69 mph	969 mb	27.5°N 77.1°W	117 mi NE of Lucaya, Bahamas
Oct 27 06:00	TS	69 mph	968 mb	28.1°N 76.9°W	153 mi NE of Lucaya, Bahamas
Oct 27 12:00	Cat 1	81 mph	956 mb	28.8°N 76.5°W	open ocean
Oct 27 18:00	Cat 1	81 mph	960 mb	29.7°N 75.6°W	open ocean
Oct 28 00:00	Cat 1	75 mph	960 mb	30.5°N 74.7°W	open ocean
Oct 28 06:00	Cat 1	75 mph	959 mb	31.3°N 73.9°W	open ocean
Oct 28 12:00	Cat 1	75 mph	954 mb	32.0°N 73.0°W	open ocean
Oct 28 18:00	Cat 1	75 mph	952 mb	32.8°N 72.0°W	open ocean
Oct 29 00:00	Cat 1	81 mph	950 mb	33.9°N 71.0°W	open ocean
Oct 29 06:00	Cat 1	92 mph	947 mb	35.3°N 70.5°W	open ocean
Oct 29 12:00	Cat 2	98 mph	945 mb	36.9°N 71.0°W	open ocean
Oct 29 18:00	Cat 1	92 mph	940 mb	38.3°N 73.2°W	99 mi SE of Atlantic City, New Jersey
Oct 29 21:00	Cat 1 extratropical	86 mph	943 mb	38.8°N 74.0°W	45 mi SSE of Atlantic City, New Jersey
Oct 30 00:00	Cat 1 LANDFALL extratropical	81 mph	945 mb	39.4°N 74.4°W	near Atlantic City, New Jersey
Oct 30 00:00	Cat 1 extratropical	81 mph	946 mb	39.5°N 74.5°W	near Pleasantville, New Jersey
Oct 30 06:00	TS extratropical	63 mph	960 mb	39.9°N 76.2°W	11 mi SSE of Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Oct 30 12:00	TS extratropical	58 mph	978 mb	40.1°N 77.8°W	13 mi NNW of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Oct 30 18:00	TS extratropical	46 mph	986 mb	40.4°N 78.9°W	near Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Oct 31 00:00	TS extratropical	40 mph	992 mb	40.7°N 79.8°W	near Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania
Oct 31 06:00	TS extratropical	40 mph	993 mb	41.1°N 80.3°W	near New Castle, Pennsylvania
Oct 31 12:00	TD extratropical	35 mph	995 mb	41.5°N 80.7°W	19 mi NNE of Warren, Ohio

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did Sandy make landfall?

Sandy made landfall 3 times: 14 mi ESE of Kingston, Jamaica on October 24, 2012 at 19:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds; 12 mi W of Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba on October 25, 2012 at 05:00 UTC, as a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds; near Atlantic City, New Jersey on October 30, 2012 at 00:00 UTC, as a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds.

What category was Sandy?

At its peak on October 25, 2012, Sandy was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a central pressure of 940 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 1 hurricane.

How long did Sandy last?

9.8 days, from October 21, 2012 to October 31, 2012, including 117 hours at hurricane strength (4 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 2,682 miles.

How many people died in Sandy?

Wikidata records 254 deaths for Hurricane Sandy. Casualty figures for tropical cyclones vary between sources; see the linked encyclopedia article for context.

Where can I download the track data for Sandy?

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 2012

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
2012	Hurricane Emilia Eastern Pacific	Cat 4 138 mph	—	→
2012	Hurricane Miriam Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 121 mph	—	→
2012	Hurricane Paul Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 121 mph	—	→
2012	Hurricane Michael Atlantic	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→
2012	Hurricane Bud Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→
2012	Hurricane Daniel Eastern Pacific	Cat 3 115 mph	—	→
2012	Hurricane Gordon Atlantic	Cat 2 109 mph	Portugal	→
2012	Hurricane Carlotta Eastern Pacific	Cat 2 109 mph	Oaxaca, Mexico	→

See every 2012 storm on one map →

Background reading: Hurricane Sandy on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic stormHurricane Rafael (2012)Next Atlantic storm →Tropical Storm Andrea (2013)

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