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Hurricane Lili (2002)

Hurricane Lili was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak, with 144 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 938 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 3 of the cities we track; the strongest was Lafayette, LA, with a modeled peak gust of 71 mph.

Peak strength144 mph winds (1-minute)
Category 4
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track
3
LandfallsFirst September 30, 2002
4
Lowest pressure
938 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 Lili’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 30, 2002, Category 1 at 75 mph, in the Cayman Islands
  2. October 1, 2002, Category 2 at 104 mph, in Cuba
  3. October 1, 2002, Category 2 at 104 mph, in Cuba
  4. October 3, 2002, Category 1 at 92 mph, about 50 miles from Lafayette, LA

Modeled winds at cities (3)

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

CityPeak gustSustainedClosest passPeak
Lafayette, LA71 mph58 mph18 milesOct 3, 2002, 11:00 AM CDT
Baton Rouge, LA51 mph42 mph74 milesOct 3, 2002, 1:00 PM CDT
Lake Charles, LA49 mph40 mph51 milesOct 3, 2002, 6:45 AM CDT

What happened

After peaking at Category 4 over the Gulf of Mexico, Lili weakened quickly and made landfall near Intracoastal City, Louisiana, at 1300 UTC (8 a.m. CDT) on October 3, 2002, as a Category 1 hurricane with 80-knot (92 mph) winds and a 963 mb central pressure.1 Intracoastal City recorded a gust of 104 knots (120 mph), and a tower near Kaplan measured the highest sustained wind over land, 64 knots (74 mph).1 A tide gauge at Crewboat Channel near Calumet measured a storm tide of 12.3 feet, one at Vermilion Bay measured 11.7 feet, and water at Burns Point, south of Morgan City, reached an estimated 10 to 12 feet above normal.1 Storm surge and rain caused levees to fail at Montegut and Franklin.1

Rain totaled 4 to 8 inches across south-central and southeastern Louisiana, with 8.57 inches at Perry.1 Tornadoes touched down in Acadia, Evangeline, Lafayette, Rapides and St. Landry parishes, with F0 to F1 damage.1 In Louisiana, wind tore shingles off roofs, broke windows and dropped trees onto houses.1 NHC puts total US damage at $925 million and lists two indirect deaths in Louisiana.1

Sources

  1. 1. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Lili, 21 September to 4 October 2002

Best track (57 positions)

TimeStatusWindPressurePosition
Sep 21, 18:00 UTCTropical depression29 mph1009 mb10.2°N, 44.6°W
Sep 22, 00:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1007 mb10.3°N, 46.5°W
Sep 22, 06:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1006 mb10.8°N, 48.5°W
Sep 22, 12:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1006 mb11.2°N, 50.4°W
Sep 22, 18:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1005 mb11.8°N, 52.2°W
Sep 23, 00:00 UTCTropical storm40 mph1005 mb12.1°N, 54.6°W
Sep 23, 06:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph1005 mb12.2°N, 56.8°W
Sep 23, 12:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph1004 mb12.4°N, 58.7°W
Sep 23, 18:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph1005 mb12.5°N, 60.4°W
Sep 24, 00:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph1006 mb12.7°N, 62.1°W
Sep 24, 06:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph1006 mb12.8°N, 63.7°W
Sep 24, 12:00 UTCTropical storm69 mph1004 mb13.0°N, 64.9°W
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