US Hurricane Tracks Map: Explore Historical Atlantic Hurricanes by Year

This interactive map displays historical hurricane tracks for the North Atlantic basin from 1851 to 2024. Select any year to load every recorded storm track, color-coded by intensity using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Click any track to see the storm name, category, wind speed, and pressure. Use the Zoom to dropdown to jump to a specific US state or coastal region.

How to Use This Map

Selecting a Year

Use the Year dropdown at the top to load tracks for any season from 1851 to 2024. The map reloads automatically when you change the year. The track count shows the number of individual storm systems recorded for that season.

Zooming to a State or Region

Use the Zoom to dropdown to jump directly to Florida, Texas, the Gulf Coast, or any other US coastal region. The map view updates immediately without reloading the tracks.

Reading Track Colors

Each track segment is colored by the storm’s Saffir-Simpson category at that point in time. A single storm may change color along its path as it intensifies or weakens. The legend in the bottom-right corner shows the color key.

Clicking a Track

Click any track to open a popup showing the storm name, season, hurricane category, maximum sustained wind speed in knots, minimum central pressure in millibars, and official status code.

About the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale classifies Atlantic hurricanes into five categories based on maximum sustained wind speed.

• Tropical Depression – Maximum sustained winds below 39 mph (34 kt)
• Tropical Storm – Winds 39-73 mph (34-63 kt); storm receives a name
• Category 1 – Winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt); some damage to well-constructed homes
• Category 2 – Winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt); major roof and siding damage
• Category 3 – Winds 111-129 mph (96-112 kt); devastating damage to well-built homes
• Category 4 – Winds 130-156 mph (113-136 kt); catastrophic damage, most trees snapped
• Category 5 – Winds above 157 mph (137 kt); catastrophic destruction, most homes destroyed

Notable US Hurricane Seasons

Some years in the dataset stand out for their activity or impact on the United States:

• 2005 – The most active Atlantic season on record. Katrina caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans and remains the costliest US natural disaster.
• 2017 – Harvey stalled over Texas and dropped record rainfall. Irma and Maria devastated Florida and Puerto Rico in the same season.
• 2004 – Four hurricanes struck Florida in a single season: Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne.
• 2020 – A record 30 named storms exhausted the standard alphabetical list for only the second time.
• 1992 – Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida as a Category 5, causing widespread destruction in Homestead.
• 1935 – The Labor Day Hurricane made landfall in the Florida Keys as the most intense Atlantic hurricane ever to strike the US mainland, with a central pressure of 892 mb.

Data Source

Track data is sourced from NOAA’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), the official global repository for tropical cyclone best track data. The dataset combines records from meteorological agencies worldwide and extends back to 1851 for the North Atlantic basin. It is updated after each storm season. The map loads data via the IBTrACS ArcGIS Feature Service published by NOAA.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are some tracks gray or light-colored?

Gray tracks represent storms that did not reach tropical storm intensity. Light blue tracks are tropical storms that never became hurricanes. Both are included in the IBTrACS record.

Can I look up a specific hurricane by name?

Select the year the storm occurred, then click the track to confirm the name in the popup. Hurricane Katrina, for example, is in the 2005 season.

Why does the same storm show multiple colors?

IBTrACS records storm intensity at each observation point (typically every 6 hours). The track color reflects the category at each segment, not the storm’s peak intensity, so you can see exactly where a storm intensified or weakened.

Why does the track count vary so much between years?

Atlantic hurricane activity is naturally variable. Active seasons like 2005 and 2020 produced over 25 named storms, while quieter seasons averaged around 10. Years before the satellite era (pre-1960s) may also undercount storms that formed and dissipated at sea without being observed.

Does the map show only hurricanes that hit the US?

No – it shows all recorded storms in the North Atlantic basin for the selected year, including those that remained at sea or made landfall elsewhere. Use the Zoom to dropdown to focus on a specific US coastal area.

How current is the data?

The IBTrACS dataset is updated after each season’s post-storm analysis is complete. The 2024 season is included. Real-time storm tracking is not available in this map.