Hurricane Donna (1960)
Hurricane Donna reached Category 4 in the North Atlantic between August 29, 1960 and September 14, 1960, with a lowest pressure of 930 mb, and made landfall.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Hurricane Donna, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 1960 season in the same basin behind it, and its wind and pressure hour by hour. Every fix is in the track table below.
The storm
- Basin
- North Atlantic
- Dates
- August 29, 1960 to September 14, 1960
- Peak strength
- Category 4, 125 kt (144 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 930 mb (27.46 inHg)
- Landfall
- Yes
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 49.2
- Fastest the center moved
- 44 kt (51 mph)
- Identifier
- AL051960
Deaths and damage
No source this site reads publishes a machine-readable casualty or damage figure for a storm of this era. The National Hurricane Center’s season tables begin in 1995 and carry deaths and damage only from 2005 in the Atlantic and 2020 in both basins; the US Storm Events record begins in 1996.
Landfalls
| Time (UTC) | Where | Position | Wind | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4, 22:00 | Saint John’s, Saint John Parish, Antigua and Barbuda, 65 km away | 17.7N 61.8W | 110 kt (127 mph) | 956 mb |
| Sep 5, 04:00 | Coast unnamed here | 18.1N 63.0W | 110 kt (127 mph) | 952 mb |
| Sep 8, 06:00 | Coast unnamed here | 22.2N 74.3W | 105 kt (121 mph) | 947 mb |
| Sep 8, 16:00 | Coast unnamed here | 22.4N 75.8W | 105 kt (121 mph) | 945 mb |
| Sep 10, 07:00 | Duck Key, FL, 3 km away | 24.8N 80.9W | 125 kt (144 mph) | 930 mb |
| Sep 10, 16:00 | Marco Island, FL, 13 km away | 25.9N 81.6W | 105 kt (121 mph) | 942 mb |
| Sep 12, 04:00 | Sneads Ferry, NC, 10 km away | 34.6N 77.3W | 90 kt (104 mph) | 958 mb |
| Sep 12, 19:00 | Bellport, NY, 7 km away | 40.7N 72.9W | 85 kt (98 mph) | 959 mb |
| Sep 12, 20:00 | Saybrook Manor, CT, 2 km away | 41.3N 72.4W | 80 kt (92 mph) | 962 mb |
Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.
Rainfall
The Weather Prediction Center attributes 2,167 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 13.24 inches (336 mm).
| Station | Total | Position |
|---|---|---|
| RAILING PROPERTY | 13.24 in (336 mm) | 25.69N 80.37W |
| PERRINE 4W | 12.90 in (328 mm) | 25.58N 80.43W |
| MIAMI 12 SSW | 11.13 in (283 mm) | 25.65N 80.30W |
| WHEELER | 10.91 in (277 mm) | 25.74N 80.30W |
| HOMESTEAD AFB | 10.84 in (275 mm) | 25.48N 80.38W |
| DAHLGREN WEAPONS LAB | 10.80 in (274 mm) | 38.33N 77.03W |
| HILLSBOROUGH RVR ST PK | 10.25 in (260 mm) | 28.15N 82.23W |
| DADE NUR | 10.02 in (255 mm) | 25.68N 80.28W |
| KENDALL | 10.02 in (255 mm) | 25.68N 80.28W |
| L ALF EX | 9.99 in (254 mm) | 28.10N 81.72W |
| LAKE ALFRED EXP STN | 9.99 in (254 mm) | 28.10N 81.72W |
| PARRISH | 9.50 in (241 mm) | 27.62N 82.35W |
WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 18:00 | 10.2N 22.8W | 25 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Aug 30, 00:00 | 10.1N 24.2W | 25 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Aug 30, 06:00 | 10.2N 25.5W | 25 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Aug 30, 12:00 | 10.3N 26.9W | 25 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Aug 30, 18:00 | 10.5N 28.4W | 25 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Aug 31, 00:00 | 10.7N 30.0W | 30 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Aug 31, 06:00 | 10.9N 31.6W | 30 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Aug 31, 12:00 | 11.1N 33.1W | 35 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Aug 31, 18:00 | 11.4N 34.6W | 35 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Sep 1, 00:00 | 11.7N 36.2W | 40 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Sep 1, 06:00 | 12.0N 37.8W | 50 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Sep 1, 12:00 | 12.3N 39.4W | 55 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Sep 1, 18:00 | 12.6N 41.1W | 65 kt | Hurricane | |
| Sep 2, 00:00 | 12.9N 42.8W | 70 kt | Hurricane | |
| Sep 2, 06:00 | 13.3N 44.3W | 75 kt | Hurricane | |
| Sep 2, 12:00 | 13.6N 45.8W | 85 kt | Hurricane | |
| Sep 2, 18:00 | 13.9N 47.6W | 95 kt | 973 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 3, 00:00 | 14.3N 49.4W | 100 kt | Hurricane | |
| Sep 3, 06:00 | 14.7N 51.2W | 105 kt | Hurricane | |
| Sep 3, 12:00 | 15.3N 53.1W | 105 kt | 962 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 3, 18:00 | 15.9N 55.0W | 105 kt | Hurricane | |
| Sep 4, 00:00 | 16.4N 56.6W | 110 kt | Hurricane | |
| Sep 4, 06:00 | 16.6N 58.2W | 110 kt | Hurricane | |
| Sep 4, 12:00 | 16.9N 59.7W | 110 kt | 958 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 4, 18:00 | 17.4N 60.9W | 110 kt | 957 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 4, 22:00 landfall | 17.7N 61.8W | 110 kt | 956 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 5, 00:00 | 17.8N 62.1W | 110 kt | 956 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 5, 04:00 landfall | 18.1N 63.0W | 110 kt | 952 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 5, 06:00 | 18.3N 63.4W | 110 kt | 952 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 5, 12:00 | 19.1N 64.8W | 110 kt | 958 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 5, 18:00 | 19.7N 65.8W | 110 kt | 956 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 6, 00:00 | 20.1N 66.5W | 115 kt | 941 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 6, 06:00 | 20.6N 67.5W | 115 kt | 941 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 6, 12:00 | 21.2N 68.3W | 120 kt | 940 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 6, 18:00 | 21.5N 68.9W | 120 kt | 940 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 7, 00:00 | 21.8N 69.7W | 125 kt | 932 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 7, 06:00 | 22.0N 70.5W | 120 kt | 940 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 7, 12:00 | 22.1N 71.3W | 110 kt | 948 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 7, 18:00 | 22.1N 72.3W | 110 kt | 947 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 8, 00:00 | 22.2N 73.4W | 110 kt | 945 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 8, 06:00 landfall | 22.2N 74.3W | 105 kt | 947 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 8, 12:00 | 22.3N 75.3W | 100 kt | 951 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 8, 16:00 landfall | 22.4N 75.8W | 105 kt | 945 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 8, 18:00 | 22.4N 76.1W | 105 kt | 945 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 9, 00:00 | 22.6N 76.9W | 110 kt | 939 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 9, 06:00 | 22.9N 77.8W | 110 kt | 942 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 9, 12:00 | 23.2N 78.7W | 110 kt | 942 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 9, 18:00 | 23.7N 79.4W | 110 kt | 944 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 10, 00:00 | 24.2N 80.1W | 115 kt | 938 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 10, 06:00 | 24.7N 80.8W | 125 kt | 930 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 10, 07:00 landfall | 24.8N 80.9W | 125 kt | 930 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 10, 12:00 | 25.3N 81.3W | 115 kt | 939 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 10, 16:00 landfall | 25.9N 81.6W | 105 kt | 942 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 10, 18:00 | 26.3N 81.8W | 105 kt | 945 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 11, 00:00 | 27.3N 81.9W | 85 kt | 957 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 11, 06:00 | 28.3N 81.7W | 65 kt | 964 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 11, 12:00 | 29.7N 81.0W | 75 kt | 968 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 11, 18:00 | 31.1N 79.9W | 80 kt | 970 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 12, 00:00 | 33.0N 78.3W | 90 kt | 958 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 12, 04:00 landfall | 34.6N 77.3W | 90 kt | 958 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 12, 06:00 | 35.1N 76.7W | 85 kt | 960 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 12, 12:00 | 37.3N 74.8W | 85 kt | 960 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 12, 18:00 | 40.1N 73.3W | 85 kt | 959 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 12, 19:00 landfall | 40.7N 72.9W | 85 kt | 959 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 12, 20:00 landfall | 41.3N 72.4W | 80 kt | 962 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 13, 00:00 | 42.8N 71.2W | 60 kt | 969 mb | Tropical storm |
| Sep 13, 06:00 | 46.8N 68.6W | 60 kt | Extratropical | |
| Sep 13, 12:00 | 50.0N 66.0W | 60 kt | Extratropical | |
| Sep 13, 18:00 | 53.1N 62.5W | 60 kt | Extratropical | |
| Sep 14, 00:00 | 56.0N 58.2W | 45 kt | Extratropical | |
| Sep 14, 06:00 | 58.5N 54.0W | 40 kt | Extratropical | |
| Sep 14, 12:00 | 61.0N 50.0W | 40 kt | Extratropical |
Other North Atlantic storms of 1960
What this means
A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.
Sources
Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.
The National Hurricane Center has published no tropical cyclone report for this storm.