Hurricane History Map

1981 North Atlantic season

22 storms formed in the North Atlantic basin in 1981, from 6 April 1981 to 17 November 1981.

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Years1981
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

The 1981 season in numbers

The record holds 22 storms for the 1981 North Atlantic season, of which 11 had names.12 reached tropical storm strength (34 knots or more), 7 reached hurricane strength (category 1 or more) and 3 were major (category 3 or more).

  • 22storms
  • 12tropical storm strength or more
  • 7hurricane strength or more
  • 3major (category 3 to 5)
  • 100accumulated cyclone energy

Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the squared wind speed of every position of 34 knots or more, divided by 10,000. It is approximate here because the winds are 1-minute equivalents, and it is mostly useful for comparing seasons of one basin.

Strongest storms of 1981

  • Harvey (1981)11 September 1981 to 20 September 1981, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 946 hPa
  • Irene (1981)21 September 1981 to 3 October 1981, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 959 hPa
  • Floyd (1981)3 September 1981 to 12 September 1981, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 975 hPa
  • Gert (1981)7 September 1981 to 15 September 1981, peak Category 2 (90 kt), 988 hPa
  • Emily (1981)31 August 1981 to 12 September 1981, peak Category 1 (80 kt), 966 hPa

All 22 storms of 1981

StormPeak
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Arlene Tropical storm
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Bret Tropical storm
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Cindy Tropical storm
Dennis Category 1
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Emily Category 1
Floyd Category 3
Gert Category 2
Harvey Category 4
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Irene Category 3
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Jose Tropical storm
Katrina Category 1
Unnamed storm Tropical storm

← 1980 · 1982 → · All seasons

Other basins in 1981

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