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Hurricane Elena (1985)

Hurricane Elena was a Category 3 hurricane at its peak, with 127 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 953 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 12 of the cities we track; the strongest was Gulfport, MS, with a modeled peak gust of 120 mph.

Peak strength127 mph winds (1-minute)
Category 3
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track
12
LandfallsFirst September 2, 1985
1
Lowest pressure
953 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 Elena’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 2, 1985, Category 3 at 115 mph, about 8 miles from Gulfport, MS

Modeled winds at cities (12)

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

CityPeak gustSustainedClosest passPeak
Gulfport, MS120 mph98 mph5 milesSep 2, 1985, 6:30 AM CDT
Mobile, AL117 mph95 mph45 milesSep 2, 1985, 5:15 AM CDT
Daphne, AL115 mph94 mph47 milesSep 2, 1985, 4:15 AM CDT
Pensacola, FL114 mph93 mph50 milesSep 2, 1985, 2:45 AM EDT
Slidell, LA88 mph71 mph24 milesSep 2, 1985, 6:45 AM CDT
Crestview, FL86 mph70 mph81 milesSep 2, 1985, 12:15 AM EDT
New Orleans, LA79 mph64 mph43 milesSep 2, 1985, 6:45 AM CDT
Tampa, FL68 mph55 mph97 milesSep 1, 1985, 2:00 AM EDT
Tallahassee, FL67 mph54 mph110 milesSep 1, 1985, 3:45 PM EDT
Ocala, FL62 mph51 mph103 milesAug 31, 1985, 7:45 PM EDT
Gainesville, FL60 mph49 mph107 milesAug 31, 1985, 8:00 PM EDT
Lakeland, FL54 mph44 mph123 milesSep 1, 1985, 2:00 AM EDT

What happened

After stalling in the Gulf off Florida's west coast, Elena came ashore near Biloxi, Mississippi, shortly before 8 a.m. CDT on September 2, 1985.1,2 At landfall it had 100-knot (115 mph) winds and a 959 mb pressure.2,1

Tides ran 3 to 6 feet above normal from Grand Isle, Louisiana, to Sarasota, Florida. NHC put the highest surge at 10 feet near Apalachicola, Florida, with 6 to 8 feet on Dauphin Island, Alabama, and around Pascagoula, Mississippi.1 Dauphin Island recorded 92-knot (106 mph) sustained winds and gusts to 118 knots (136 mph). Gulfport had a 105-knot (121 mph) gust, Pascagoula 100 knots (115 mph), Pensacola 80 knots (92 mph) and Biloxi 78 knots (90 mph).1 On Dauphin Island, the surge cut across low parts of the island and eroded streets, destroying the water and sewer lines beneath them, and Storm Data described building damage there as worse than in Hurricane Frederic in 1979.3 Rain topped 11 inches at Apalachicola. Tornadoes during the stall off Florida severely damaged a number of mobile home parks northeast of Tampa, and at least a dozen more were reported in coastal Mississippi.1

The Red Cross counted 294 single-family homes, 541 mobile homes and 239 apartment or condominium units destroyed, with 1,808 homes, 1,268 mobile homes and 423 apartment or condominium units suffering major damage.1 NHC reported four deaths, none in the landfall area, and estimated total damage would likely top $1 billion.1

Sources

  1. 1. NOAA National Hurricane Center (hosted by NWS Lake Charles): Preliminary Report, Hurricane Elena, 28 August to 4 September 1985
  2. 2. NWS Lake Charles: Hurricane Elena 1985
  3. 3. NWS Mobile/Pensacola: Hurricane Elena - September 1985

Best track (33 positions)

TimeStatusWindPressurePosition
Aug 28, 00:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1012 mb19.8°N, 74.0°W
Aug 28, 06:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1010 mb20.8°N, 76.0°W
Aug 28, 12:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1008 mb21.8°N, 78.0°W
Aug 28, 18:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph1006 mb22.6°N, 80.0°W
Aug 29, 00:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph1004 mb23.2°N, 81.8°W
Aug 29, 06:00 UTCTropical storm63 mph1000 mb24.0°N, 83.5°W
Aug 29, 12:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane75 mph994 mb25.0°N, 85.0°W
Aug 29, 18:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane81 mph990 mb25.9°N, 85.8°W
Aug 30, 00:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane86 mph986 mb26.6°N, 86.6°W
Aug 30, 06:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane92 mph980 mb27.3°N, 87.2°W
Aug 30, 12:00 UTCCategory 2 hurricane104 mph974 mb27.9°N, 87.3°W
Aug 30, 18:00 UTCCategory 2 hurricane104 mph978 mb28.3°N, 86.8°W
Show all 33