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Atlantic 2020 season

Hurricane Laura (2020)

Hurricane Laura was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak, with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (130 kt) and a minimum central pressure of 937 mb. It was active from Aug 20, 2020 to Aug 29, 2020 and made 6 documented landfalls.

Storm facts

Peak statusHurricane — Category 4
Max sustained winds130 kt / 150 mph / 241 km/h
Minimum central pressure937 mb
Active datesAug 20, 2020 – Aug 29, 2020
Accumulated cyclone energy (ACE)13.7
Documented landfalls6

Every value on this page is taken directly from the NHC HURDAT2 best-track record for Laura 2020. Nothing is estimated. The best-track table below shows one entry per day at 00:00 UTC; the full six-hourly record lives in the HURDAT2 database.

Best-track table (daily, 00:00 UTC)

DateStatusMax windsPosition
Aug 20, 2020Tropical depression30 kt (56 km/h)14.4N 47.3W
Aug 21, 2020Tropical depression30 kt (56 km/h)16.8N 55.5W
Aug 22, 2020Tropical storm40 kt (74 km/h)17.1N 62.8W
Aug 23, 2020Tropical storm45 kt (83 km/h)18.2N 68.8W
Aug 24, 2020Tropical storm55 kt (102 km/h)19.8N 76.0W
Aug 25, 2020Tropical storm55 kt (102 km/h)22.3N 83.3W
Aug 26, 2020Hurricane75 kt (139 km/h)24.9N 88.9W
Aug 27, 2020Hurricane130 kt (241 km/h)28.5N 93.0W
Aug 28, 2020Tropical storm35 kt (65 km/h)34.4N 92.5W
Aug 29, 2020Tropical depression25 kt (46 km/h)37.5N 88.0W

Read this like a pro

Wind speeds above are in knots, the unit NHC uses in HURDAT2. For what a Category 4 wind field actually does, see hurricane categories explained; for why the wind number alone never tells the danger story, see storm surge vs. flooding.