HurricaneTracks
Menu

All storm pages · 2017 Atlantic season

Hurricane Irma 2017

Category 5 hurricane · Atlantic · August 30 to September 12, 2017

Irma's peak sustained wind of 180 mph is tied for the seventh-highest of the 1,988 storms in the Atlantic record since 1851, and one of 44 Category 5 storms in that record. No storm in the record came ashore in Cuba with stronger winds than its 165 mph landfall on September 9, 2017; 56 storms have a landfall record there. No storm in the record came ashore in Antigua and Barbuda with stronger winds than its 180 mph landfall on September 6, 2017; 12 storms have a landfall record there. The name Irma is on the National Hurricane Center's list of retired Atlantic hurricane names.

Track of Irma (2017) from the best-track record, coloured by strength20°N30°N80°W70°W60°W50°W40°W30°WAntigua and Barbuda, 180 mphSaint Martin, 180 mphBritish Virgin Islands, 180 mphBahamas, 155 mphCuba, 165 mphFlorida, 130 mphPeak 180 mphFirst recordNot tropicalDepressionTropical stormCategory 1Category 2Category 3Category 4Category 500 and 12 UTCLandfall

Strength over time

Maximum sustained wind of Irma (2017) over time, in mphTSCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 504080120160200Aug 31Sep 2Sep 4Sep 6Sep 8Sep 10Sep 12mph
  1. First record (tropical depression) far out at sea, at 16.1°N, 26.9°W
  2. Tropical storm far out at sea, at 16.2°N, 28.3°W
  3. Hurricane far out at sea, at 16.4°N, 32.5°W
  4. Major hurricane far out at sea, at 17.5°N, 35.1°W
  5. Peak 160 miles east-northeast of Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France; lowest pressure 914 mb
  6. Landfall Antigua and Barbuda
  7. Landfall Saint Martin: Category 5, 180 mph, 914 mb
  8. Landfall British Virgin Islands: Category 5, 180 mph, 915 mb
  9. Landfall Bahamas
  10. Landfall Cuba
  11. Landfall Florida: Category 4, 130 mph, 931 mb
  12. Landfall Florida: Category 3, 115 mph, 936 mb
  13. No longer tropical (low) 20 miles north-northwest of Auburn, Alabama
  14. Last record 15 miles east of Poplar Bluff, Missouri

Against every Atlantic storm since 1851

Peak sustained wind180 mph · tied 7th of 1,98830 mph190 mph
Lowest central pressure914 mb · tied 17th of 1,277882 mb1016 mb
Accumulated cyclone energy64.9 · 3rd of 1,7520.173.6
Days as a tropical or subtropical cyclone13.0 days · tied 97th of 1,9880.0 days31.8 days

More from the record

It produced 64.9 units of accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), the third-most of any Atlantic storm since 1851.

It held major-hurricane strength (Category 3 or higher) for 210 hours, the fourth-longest spell among Atlantic hurricanes.

Its 155 mph landfall in the Bahamas on September 8, 2017 ranks the third-strongest of the 29 storms with a landfall record there.

It has landfall records in 6 different places: Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Martin, the British Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, Cuba and Florida.

In the 2017 season

04080120160200Irma

Storm 10 of 18 in 2017, hurricane 4 of 10; it formed after Harvey and before Jose. See the season.

Places the center passed

The center came within 50 miles of at least 8 towns or cities of 10,000 people or more while the system was tropical. Distances are to the interpolated track line, not the storm's edge.

PlaceClosestWind thenDate
Albany, Georgia2 mi45 mphSeptember 11
Naples, Florida6 mi110 mphSeptember 10
Valdosta, Georgia9 mi50 mphSeptember 11
Ft. Myers, Florida10 mi100 mphSeptember 10
Spring Hill, Florida14 mi70 mphSeptember 11
Sagua la Grande, Villa Clara, Cuba14 mi115 mphSeptember 9
Caibarién, Villa Clara, Cuba16 mi125 mphSeptember 9
Cape Coral, Florida17 mi100 mphSeptember 10

Every storm within 50 miles of Naples, Florida

Similar landfalls in Antigua and Barbuda

Storms whose strongest landfall record in Antigua and Barbuda came closest to Irma's 180 mph:

  • Donna (1960)125 mph, September 4, 1960
  • Georges (1998)115 mph, September 21, 1998
  • Tammy (2023)90 mph, October 22, 2023
  • Jose (1999)90 mph, October 20, 1999

All 12 storms with a landfall record in Antigua and Barbuda

Also peaked at 180 mph

Of 3 storms from other Atlantic seasons, the nearest in time: