September 1948 Florida Hurricane

Track map, landfall & timeline · Atlantic · September 18–26, 1948

Peak wind

132 mph

213 km/h · Sep 22

Peak category

Cat 4

Saffir–Simpson

Lowest pressure

940 mb

Landfalls

Florida · Mayabeque, Cuba

Lifetime

7.8 d

Sep 18 – Sep 26

Distance

3,416 mi

5,496 km

ACE

20.8

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 September 1948 Florida Hurricane

The September 1948 Florida Hurricane was a Category 4 hurricane of the 1948 Atlantic season. It formed on September 18, 1948, 86 mi WSW of Montego Bay, Jamaica, reached its peak of 132 mph (213 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 940 mb on September 22, 1948, and made landfall 4 times — first 31 mi SSE of Batabanó, Mayabeque, Cuba on September 20, 1948 as a Category 3 hurricane (127 mph). Later landfalls: 10 mi S of Güines, Mayabeque, Cuba on September 21, 1948 as a Category 3 hurricane (127 mph); 12 mi ENE of Key West, Florida on September 21, 1948 as a Category 3 hurricane (121 mph); 28 mi ESE of Marco Island, Florida on September 22, 1948 as a Category 4 hurricane (132 mph). It rapidly intensified by 52 mph in 24 hours (to 121 mph on September 19, 1948). The storm lasted 7.8 days and travelled about 3,416 miles (5,496 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 20, 1948 · 22:00 UTC	31 mi SSE of Batabanó, Mayabeque, Cuba	Cat 3 127 mph	—
September 21, 1948 · 01:00 UTC	10 mi S of Güines, Mayabeque, Cuba	Cat 3 127 mph	—
September 21, 1948 · 17:00 UTC	12 mi ENE of Key West, Florida	Cat 3 121 mph	955 mb
September 22, 1948 · 05:00 UTC	28 mi ESE of Marco Island, Florida	Cat 4 132 mph	940 mb

Closest approach to major cities

City	Distance to center	When (UTC)	Storm strength then
Havana, Havana, Cuba	29 mi	Sep 21 · 04:00 UTC	Cat 3 120 mph
Cape Coral, Florida	60 mi	Sep 22 · 07:00 UTC	Cat 3 127 mph
Miami, Florida	60 mi	Sep 22 · 09:00 UTC	Cat 3 115 mph
Hialeah, Florida	52 mi	Sep 22 · 10:00 UTC	Cat 2 109 mph
Pembroke Pines, Florida	49 mi	Sep 22 · 11:00 UTC	Cat 2 104 mph
Hollywood, Florida	53 mi	Sep 22 · 11:00 UTC	Cat 2 104 mph
Miramar, Florida	49 mi	Sep 22 · 11:00 UTC	Cat 2 104 mph
Fort Lauderdale, Florida	48 mi	Sep 22 · 12:00 UTC	Cat 2 98 mph
Coral Springs, Florida	36 mi	Sep 22 · 13:00 UTC	Cat 2 97 mph
Port Saint Lucie, Florida	12 mi	Sep 22 · 17:00 UTC	Cat 1 93 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 06:00	TS	46 mph	—	18.2°N 79.2°W	56 mi W of Negril, Jamaica
Sep 18 12:00	TS	58 mph	—	18.2°N 79.8°W	95 mi W of Negril, Jamaica
Sep 18 18:00	TS	69 mph	994 mb	18.3°N 80.4°W	86 mi SE of Frank Sound, Cayman Islands
Sep 19 00:00	Cat 1	81 mph	—	18.5°N 80.8°W	61 mi SSE of Bodden Town, Cayman Islands
Sep 19 06:00	Cat 1	92 mph	—	18.8°N 81.1°W	34 mi SSE of Bodden Town, Cayman Islands
Sep 19 12:00	Cat 2	104 mph	—	19.2°N 81.5°W	10 mi SW of George Town, Cayman Islands
Sep 19 18:00	Cat 3	121 mph	951 mb	19.6°N 81.9°W	36 mi WNW of West Bay, Cayman Islands
Sep 20 00:00	Cat 3	127 mph	—	20.0°N 82.2°W	68 mi NW of West Bay, Cayman Islands
Sep 20 06:00	Cat 3	127 mph	—	20.5°N 82.3°W	97 mi NW of West Bay, Cayman Islands
Sep 20 12:00	Cat 3	127 mph	—	21.2°N 82.3°W	58 mi SE of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Sep 20 18:00	Cat 3	127 mph	—	21.9°N 82.3°W	32 mi E of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Sep 20 22:00	Cat 3 LANDFALL	127 mph	—	22.3°N 82.1°W	31 mi SSE of Batabanó, Mayabeque, Cuba
Sep 21 00:00	Cat 3	127 mph	—	22.6°N 82.1°W	17 mi SSW of Güines, Mayabeque, Cuba
Sep 21 01:00	Cat 3 LANDFALL	127 mph	—	22.7°N 82.0°W	10 mi S of Güines, Mayabeque, Cuba
Sep 21 06:00	Cat 3	115 mph	—	23.3°N 81.9°W	10 mi N of Santa Cruz del Norte, Mayabeque, Cuba
Sep 21 12:00	Cat 3	121 mph	—	24.0°N 81.7°W	39 mi S of Key West, Florida
Sep 21 17:00	Cat 3 LANDFALL	121 mph	955 mb	24.6°N 81.6°W	12 mi ENE of Key West, Florida
Sep 21 18:00	Cat 3	121 mph	955 mb	24.7°N 81.5°W	20 mi ENE of Key West, Florida
Sep 22 00:00	Cat 4	132 mph	—	25.4°N 81.4°W	42 mi SSE of Marco Island, Florida
Sep 22 05:00	Cat 4 LANDFALL	132 mph	940 mb	25.8°N 81.3°W	28 mi ESE of Marco Island, Florida
Sep 22 06:00	Cat 4	132 mph	940 mb	26.0°N 81.2°W	32 mi SSE of Immokalee, Florida
Sep 22 12:00	Cat 2	98 mph	—	26.5°N 80.8°W	15 mi SSW of Belle Glade, Florida
Sep 22 18:00	Cat 1	92 mph	965 mb	27.3°N 80.1°W	15 mi E of Port Saint Lucie, Florida
Sep 23 00:00	Cat 1	92 mph	—	27.9°N 78.9°W	84 mi N of West End, Bahamas
Sep 23 06:00	Cat 2	98 mph	—	28.5°N 77.6°W	151 mi NNE of Lucaya, Bahamas
Sep 23 12:00	Cat 2	104 mph	—	29.6°N 75.7°W	open ocean
Sep 23 18:00	Cat 2	104 mph	—	31.0°N 73.6°W	open ocean
Sep 24 00:00	Cat 2	98 mph	—	33.0°N 71.6°W	open ocean
Sep 24 06:00	Cat 1 extratropical	86 mph	—	35.1°N 69.5°W	open ocean
Sep 24 12:00	Cat 1 extratropical	75 mph	—	37.1°N 66.9°W	open ocean
Sep 24 18:00	TS extratropical	69 mph	—	39.3°N 62.0°W	open ocean
Sep 25 00:00	TS extratropical	63 mph	—	41.5°N 57.5°W	open ocean
Sep 25 06:00	TS extratropical	58 mph	—	43.3°N 52.8°W	open ocean
Sep 25 12:00	TS extratropical	52 mph	—	44.6°N 48.6°W	open ocean
Sep 25 18:00	TS extratropical	52 mph	—	46.0°N 43.7°W	open ocean
Sep 26 00:00	TS extratropical	52 mph	—	47.5°N 39.0°W	open ocean

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

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When and where did September 1948 Florida Hurricane make landfall?

September 1948 Florida Hurricane made landfall 4 times: 31 mi SSE of Batabanó, Mayabeque, Cuba on September 20, 1948 at 22:00 UTC, as a Category 3 hurricane with 127 mph winds; 10 mi S of Güines, Mayabeque, Cuba on September 21, 1948 at 01:00 UTC, as a Category 3 hurricane with 127 mph winds; 12 mi ENE of Key West, Florida on September 21, 1948 at 17:00 UTC, as a Category 3 hurricane with 121 mph winds; 28 mi ESE of Marco Island, Florida on September 22, 1948 at 05:00 UTC, as a Category 4 hurricane with 132 mph winds.

What category was September 1948 Florida Hurricane?

At its peak on September 22, 1948, September 1948 Florida Hurricane was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 132 mph (213 km/h) and a central pressure of 940 mb. At its first landfall it was a Category 3 hurricane.

How long did September 1948 Florida Hurricane last?

7.8 days, from September 18, 1948 to September 26, 1948, including 126 hours at hurricane strength (66 as a major hurricane). It travelled about 3,416 miles.

Where can I download the track data for September 1948 Florida Hurricane?

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 1948

Year	Storm	Peak	Landfall
1948	1948 Bermuda–Newfoundland Hurricane Atlantic	Cat 4 132 mph	—	→
1948	1948 Miami Hurricane Atlantic	Cat 3 127 mph	Pinar del Río, Cuba, Florida	→

See every 1948 storm on one map →

Background reading: September 1948 Florida hurricane on Wikipedia.

← Previous Atlantic storm1948 Bermuda–Newfoundland Hurricane (1948)Next Atlantic storm →1948 Miami Hurricane (1948)

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