List of Category 4 Atlantic hurricanes


Category 4 hurricanes are tropical cyclones that reach Category 4 intensity on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. Category 4 hurricanes that later attained Category 5 strength are not included in this list. The Atlantic basin includes the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Category 4 is the second-highest hurricane classification category on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, and storms that are of this intensity maintain maximum sustained winds of 113-136 knots. Based on the Atlantic hurricane database, 143 hurricanes have attained Category 4 hurricane status since 1851, the start of modern meteorological record keeping. Category 4 storms are considered extreme hurricanes. Hurricane Ike, which was a Category 4 storm, brought on a 24 ft storm surge, the third greatest storm surge ever recorded.

Statistics

Category 4 hurricanes have maximum sustained winds of 113-136 knots. "Sustained winds" refers to the average wind speed observed over one minute at a height of 10 meters above ground. Gust can be 30% higher than the sustained winds. Mobile homes and other buildings without fixed structures can be completely destroyed, and the lower floors of sturdier structures usually sustain major damage. In addition to the winds, the cyclones generally produce a storm surge of 13–18 feet above normal, potentially causing major beach erosion. Heavy, irreparable damage and/or near complete destruction of gas station canopies and other wide span overhang type structures are also very common, and mobile and manufactured homes are often completely destroyed. Low-level terrain may be flooded well inland, as well. In addition, Category 4 hurricanes are very often Cape Verde type hurricanes. Cape Verde hurricanes are usually the strongest, and their track sometimes points them towards the United States, or other land.
The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes appears to have nearly doubled in occurrence in from 1970 to 2004. It is likely that the increase in Atlantic tropical storm and hurricane frequency is primarily due to improved monitoring.
Due to growing population in major coastal cities, many areas have become more vulnerable to strong hurricanes, especially categories 4 and 5.

Meteorological measurements

All of the storms listed in this analysis are listed in chronological order, but they also list the minimum central pressure and maximum sustained winds. Each of these meteorological readings are taken using a specific meteorological instrument. For modern storms, the minimum pressure measurements are taken by Reconnaissance Aircraft using dropsondes, or by determining it from satellite imagery using the Dvorak technique. For older storms, pressures are often incomplete, typically being provided by ship-reports or land-observations. None of these methods can provide constant pressure measurements; thus it is possible the only measurement occurred when the cyclone was at a lesser strength. Sustained winds are taken using an Anemometer at 10 meters above the ground.

Climatology

A total of 94 hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean Basin, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, have reached Category 4 status as their peak intensity.
Most Category 4 hurricanes occur during September, with 51 storms occurring in that month. This coincides with the average peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, which occurs on September 10. Most Category 4 hurricanes develop in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Several Category 4 hurricanes are Cape Verde-type hurricanes.
There have been no Category 4 hurricanes to form in either May or December, or in any other month outside the traditional bounds of the Atlantic hurricane season.

List of Category 4 hurricanes

Listed in chronological order

All data listed is provided by the NHC best track, unless otherwise noted.
Also, some pressure readings for the older storms may have been taken at a time other than the storm's peak intensity. Thus, some pressure readings might not be the minimum pressure.
Some pressure readings are unavailable due to scarce information.
PeriodNumberNumber per year
1851–1900130.26
1901–1950290.58
1951–1975220.88
1976–2000240.96
2001–present241.4

1851–1900

In the years between 1851 and 1900, thirteen Category 4 storms are known to have occurred in the Atlantic Ocean. These numbers are limited by the observation techniques used prior to the use of satellite imagery in the 1960s.

1901–1950

Between 1901 and 1950, 29 Category 4 hurricanes formed in the Atlantic Basin.

1951–1975

In the years between 1951 and 1975, there were 23 Category 4 hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean.

1976–2000

In the years between 1976 and 2000, 24 Category 4 hurricanes formed in the basin:

2001–present

In the years between 2001 and the present time, 24 Category 4 hurricanes formed within the confines of the Atlantic Ocean. A dagger denotes that the storm temporarily weakened below Category 4 intensity during the specified period of time.

Listed by month

MonthNumber of recorded storms
reaching Category 4 strength
July2
August37
September52
October47
November5


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Landfalls

The following hurricanes made landfall at some location at any strength. Due to inaccuracies in data, tropical depression landfalls are not included. Category 5 hurricanes are also not included in the table below. Several of these storms weakened slightly after attaining Category 4 status as they approached land; this is usually a result of dry air, shallower water due to shelving, cooler waters, or interaction with land.
NameYear
Category 4
Category 3
Category 2
Category 1
Tropical storm
"Last Island"1856Louisiana
"Unnamed"1866Bahamas
"Unnamed"1878Haiti & Turks and Caicos Islands
"Unnamed"1880TexasQuintana RooGuadeloupe
"Unnamed"1882CubaFlorida
Indianola1886TexasDominican Republic & Cuba
Cheniere Caminada1893LouisianaQuintana Roo & Mississippi
Unnamed1894Saint Lucia
Unnamed1898Georgia
San Ciriaco1899Guadeloupe & Puerto RicoBahamas & North Carolina
Galveston 1900TexasAntigua, Nevis, Dominican Republic & Cuba
Unnamed1910CubaFlorida
Galveston 1915TexasJamaicaGuadeloupe
New Orleans1915Louisiana
Florida Keys1919Bahamas & TexasPuerto Rico
Tampa Bay1921Florida
Nassau1926BahamasFlorida
Miami1926Bahamas & FloridaAlabama
Unnamed1926CubaBermuda
Unnamed1929BahamasFloridaFlorida
San Zenón1930Dominican RepublicGuadeloupeCuba & Florida
Unnamed1932Texas
San Ciprian1932Puerto RicoDominican RepublicBelize
Chesapeake–Potomac1933North Carolina
Treasure Coast1933BahamasFlorida
Outer Banks1933North CarolinaNova Scotia
Great Atlantic Hurricane1944New York & Rhode Island-
Unnamed1945FloridaBahamasSouth Carolina
Unnamed1948FloridaCuba
Unnamed1949FloridaBahamas
Charlie1951Quintana RooTamaulipasJamaicaDominica
Fox1952CubaBahamasBahamas
Hazel1954North CarolinaHaiti & Turks and Caicos Islands
Connie1955North Carolina
Carrie1957Azores
Helene1958North CarolinaNewfoundland
Gracie1959South Carolina
Donna1960FloridaBarbuda, Anguilla, & BahamasNorth Carolina, New York & Connecticut
Carla1961Texas
Flora1963HaitiTobago & CubaCuba
Cleo1964Guadeloupe & HaitiFloridaCubaGeorgia
Dora1964Florida
Hilda1964Louisiana
Betsy1965LouisianaBahamas & Florida
Inez1966Dominican RepublicGuadeloupe, Cuba & TamaulipasCuba
Carmen1974Quintana RooLouisiana
Greta1978HondurasBelize
Frederic1979AlabamaPuerto Rico, Dominican Republic & Cuba
Diana1984North Carolina-
Gloria1985North CarolinaNew York & Connecticut
Joan1988NicaraguaGrenada, Colombia & Venezuela
Luis1995BarbudaNewfoundland
Opal1995FloridaYucatán Peninsula
Hortense1996Puerto Rico & Nova ScotiaGuadeloupe
Georges1998Antigua, Saint Kitts, Puerto Rico & Dominican RepublicFlorida & MississippiCuba
Bret1999Texas
Floyd1999BahamasBahamasNorth CarolinaMaryland, New Jersey, New York & Connecticut
Lenny1999Saint MartinAnguillaSaint BarthélemyAntigua
Keith2000Belize & Tamaulipas
Iris2001Belize
Michelle2001CubaBahamas
Lili2002CubaCayman Islands & Louisiana
Charley2004FloridaCubaSouth Carolina
Frances2004BahamasBahamas & FloridaFlorida
Dennis2005CubaFlorida
Gustav2008Cuba LouisianaHaitiJamaica
Ike2008CubaBahamasTexasCuba
Paloma2008Cuba
Bill2009Newfoundland
Earl2010Nova ScotiaPrince Edward Island
Igor2010Newfoundland
Gonzalo2014BermudaAntigua, Saint Martin & Anguilla
Joaquin2015BahamasBahamas
Harvey2017TexasTexasBarbados, Saint Vincent & Louisiana
Florence2018North Carolina