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Hurricane Esther (1961)

Hurricane Esther was a Category 5 hurricane at its peak, with 161 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 919 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 11 of the cities we track; the strongest was Providence, RI, with a modeled peak gust of 70 mph.

Peak strength161 mph winds (1-minute)
Category 5
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track
11
LandfallsFirst September 26, 1961
3
Lowest pressure
919 mb

Track, wind field and cities

Select a piece of the track or a city for details.

  • Depression or weaker
  • Tropical storm
  • Hurricane, Category 1 or 2
  • Major hurricane, Category 3 to 5
  • Landfall
  • City (larger ring, stronger modeled gust)
  • Modeled wind field, 39 to 111 mph sustained (darker, stronger; orange 111 mph+)
Source: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center best track (HURDAT2). City winds and the wind field are modeled.

The shaded areas are where our model puts Hurricane Esther’s sustained winds over open land at 39 mph or more (tropical-storm force), 58, 74 (hurricane force) and 111 mph (major hurricane force) at some point along its track. Modeled, not measured. How we model hurricane winds

Landfalls

  1. September 26, 1961, tropical storm at 58 mph, about 68 miles from Providence, RI
  2. September 26, 1961, tropical storm at 58 mph, about 61 miles from Boston, MA
  3. September 26, 1961, tropical storm at 40 mph, about 116 miles from Boston, MA

Modeled winds at cities (11)

Estimated peak winds for open, flat ground at each city’s center. Not measurements. How we model hurricane winds

CityPeak gustSustainedClosest passPeak
Providence, RI70 mph57 mph63 milesSep 21, 1961, 2:00 PM GMT-4
Norwich, CT67 mph55 mph83 milesSep 21, 1961, 2:00 PM GMT-4
New Haven, CT60 mph49 mph98 milesSep 21, 1961, 8:00 AM GMT-4
Boston, MA59 mph48 mph46 milesSep 21, 1961, 2:00 PM GMT-4
Bridgeport, CT58 mph47 mph104 milesSep 21, 1961, 8:00 AM GMT-4
Worcester, MA56 mph46 mph86 milesSep 21, 1961, 2:00 PM GMT-4
Hartford, CT55 mph45 mph113 milesSep 21, 1961, 8:30 AM GMT-4
Waterbury, CT55 mph45 mph113 milesSep 21, 1961, 8:00 AM GMT-4
Atlantic City, NJ54 mph44 mph120 milesSep 21, 1961, 2:00 AM GMT-4
Springfield, MA52 mph42 mph123 milesSep 21, 1961, 2:00 PM GMT-4
New York, NY51 mph41 mph125 milesSep 21, 1961, 8:00 AM GMT-4

Best track (70 positions)

TimeStatusWindPressurePosition
Sep 10, 12:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph11.2°N, 31.0°W
Sep 10, 18:00 UTCTropical storm40 mph11.7°N, 32.5°W
Sep 11, 00:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph12.4°N, 33.9°W
Sep 11, 06:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph13.4°N, 35.3°W
Sep 11, 12:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph14.4°N, 36.7°W
Sep 11, 18:00 UTCTropical storm63 mph15.2°N, 38.1°W
Sep 12, 00:00 UTCTropical storm69 mph16.0°N, 39.4°W
Sep 12, 06:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane81 mph16.8°N, 40.7°W
Sep 12, 12:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane92 mph17.6°N, 42.0°W
Sep 12, 18:00 UTCCategory 2 hurricane104 mph967 mb18.4°N, 43.1°W
Sep 13, 00:00 UTCCategory 2 hurricane104 mph19.0°N, 44.2°W
Sep 13, 06:00 UTCCategory 2 hurricane104 mph969 mb19.4°N, 45.3°W
Show all 70