LEARN
Learn about hurricanes
Every storm on this map comes from NOAA's archive, which starts in 1950. These guides explain what the colors and numbers mean, then answer the questions people ask most: which storm was strongest, which lasted longest, which season was busiest, which storm killed the most, and when seasons begin and end.
Reading the map
- Wind & intensity
Hurricane categories explained
Understand Categories 1–5, sustained wind speeds, major hurricanes, and what the track colors on Hurricanes Mapped mean.
Read the guide → - Storm fundamentals
Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones
Discover how hurricane, typhoon, and tropical cyclone names vary by ocean basin, and explore their tracks on one global map.
Read the guide → - Using the map
How to read hurricane tracks
Learn to replay historical hurricane paths, read intensity colors and wind extent, and distinguish archive tracks from forecast cones.
Read the guide →
Records from the archive
- Records
The strongest hurricane ever? Winds vs pressure
The fastest winds on record and the lowest central pressure belong to different storms, and one famous wind record is doubtful. Atlantic answers included.
Read the guide → - Records
Longest-lasting tropical cyclone: Freddy, 36 days
Cyclone Freddy in 2023 crossed most of the Indian Ocean and stayed at tropical storm strength or above for 36 days, the longest on record.
Read the guide → - Records
Most active hurricane season ever: 2005 vs 2020
The Atlantic's most energetic season and its busiest season by storm count are different years, and the western Pacific is busier than either.
Read the guide → - Records
Deadliest storms in history, from 1780 to Mitch
The deadliest tropical cyclone, Atlantic hurricane, US storm and modern hurricane, with the range of death-toll estimates for each.
Read the guide → - Records
When hurricane season starts and ends
The earliest and latest Atlantic storm starts and ends since 1950, and how Isaias in October 2026 became the latest first hurricane of the satellite era.
Read the guide →