Hurricane History Map

1973 North Atlantic season

20 storms formed in the North Atlantic basin in 1973, from 18 April 1973 to 20 November 1973.

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Years1973
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 1973 season in numbers

The record holds 20 storms for the 1973 North Atlantic season, of which 8 had names.12 reached tropical storm strength (34 knots or more), 5 reached hurricane strength (category 1 or more) and 1 were major (category 3 or more).

  • 20storms
  • 12tropical storm strength or more
  • 5hurricane strength or more
  • 1major (category 3 to 5)
  • 56accumulated 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 1973

  • Ellen (1973)13 September 1973 to 27 September 1973, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 962 hPa
  • Brenda (1973)18 August 1973 to 22 August 1973, peak Category 1 (80 kt), 977 hPa
  • Alice (1973)1 July 1973 to 7 July 1973, peak Category 1 (75 kt), 986 hPa
  • Delia (1973)1 September 1973 to 7 September 1973, peak Category 1 (75 kt), 986 hPa
  • Fran (1973)7 October 1973 to 14 October 1973, peak Category 1 (75 kt), 986 hPa

All 20 storms of 1973

StormPeak
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Alice Category 1
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Unnamed storm Tropical storm
Alfa Tropical storm
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Brenda Category 1
Christine Tropical storm
Delia Category 1
Unnamed storm Tropical storm
Ellen Category 3
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Unnamed storm Tropical storm
Fran Category 1
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Gilda Tropical storm
Unnamed storm Tropical storm

← 1972 · 1974 → · All seasons

Other basins in 1973

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