NHC AL041970 · Atlantic basin
Hurricane Celia (1970)
July 31, 1970 – August 5, 1970
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
Hurricane Celia peaked at Category 4 with 138 mph sustained winds and passed within 75 miles of 67 US cities, 61 of them while still at hurricane strength.
Celia in the record
HURDAT2 tracks Celia for 6 days, from July 31, 1970 to August 5, 1970. Its first position, at 18.5°N 82.5°W, records it as a tropical depression; its last, at 32.3°N 107.0°W, as a tropical depression. It reached tropical-storm strength on August 1, hurricane strength on August 1 and major-hurricane strength on August 3. Its peak was 138 mph (120 knots), Category 4, on August 3, and its lowest central pressure was 944 millibars on August 3. It spent about 3 days at hurricane strength. HURDAT2 marks a landfall within 50 miles of a US city on this site: on August 3 at 138 mph (Category 4), 2 miles from Port Aransas, TX. It has one more landfall in the record farther from the cities here. Its centre passed within 75 miles of 67 US cities, all in Texas. The strongest pass was 138 mph (Category 4) 2 miles from Port Aransas, TX; the centre came closest to Portland, TX, 1 mile away. 61 of the cities had it at hurricane strength at the closest point, 22 at major-hurricane strength. It reached more US cities than 24% of the 737 storms on this site, and ranks 4th of the 6 storms of 1970 here.
- Peak strength
- Category 4
- Cities within 75 mi
- 67
- At hurricane strength
- 61
- States
- 1
138 mph
when closest
Cities Celia passed near, strongest first
Texas (67)
- Port AransasCategory 4 · 2 mi
- SeadriftCategory 4 · 48 mi
- Port LavacaCategory 4 · 62 mi
- RockportCategory 4 · 17 mi
- Aransas PassCategory 4 · 6 mi
- InglesideCategory 4 · 1 mi
- GregoryCategory 4 · 2 mi
- PortlandCategory 3 · overhead
- Corpus ChristiCategory 3 · 13 mi
- InezCategory 3 · 75 mi
- TaftCategory 3 · 4 mi
- RefugioCategory 3 · 29 mi
- VictoriaCategory 3 · 66 mi
- SintonCategory 3 · 5 mi
- OdemCategory 3 · 4 mi
- RobstownCategory 3 · 17 mi
- BishopCategory 3 · 30 mi
- KingsvilleCategory 3 · 39 mi
- FalfurriasCategory 3 · 65 mi
- GoliadCategory 3 · 47 mi
- PremontCategory 3 · 54 mi
- SkidmoreCategory 3 · 11 mi
- MathisCategory 2 · overhead
- SandiaCategory 2 · 5 mi
- BeevilleCategory 2 · 22 mi
- AliceCategory 2 · 30 mi
- YorktownCategory 2 · 63 mi
- Orange GroveCategory 2 · 15 mi
- KenedyCategory 2 · 43 mi
- George WestCategory 2 · 3 mi
- San DiegoCategory 2 · 39 mi
- Karnes CityCategory 2 · 49 mi
- Three RiversCategory 2 · 17 mi
- Falls CityCategory 2 · 51 mi
- StockdaleCategory 2 · 70 mi
- FreerCategory 2 · 27 mi
- FloresvilleCategory 1 · 60 mi
- La VerniaCategory 1 · 74 mi
- AdkinsCategory 1 · 70 mi
- PleasantonCategory 1 · 41 mi
- ElmendorfCategory 1 · 60 mi
- JourdantonCategory 1 · 33 mi
- PoteetCategory 1 · 45 mi
- Fort Sam HoustonCategory 1 · 73 mi
- Von OrmyCategory 1 · 55 mi
- SomersetCategory 1 · 52 mi
- Jbsa LacklandCategory 1 · 66 mi
- San AntonioCategory 1 · 73 mi
- AtascosaCategory 1 · 57 mi
- LaredoCategory 1 · 73 mi
- LytleCategory 1 · 51 mi
- CotullaCategory 1 · 9 mi
- NataliaCategory 1 · 48 mi
- LacosteCategory 1 · 56 mi
- DevineCategory 1 · 44 mi
- CastrovilleCategory 1 · 58 mi
- PearsallCategory 1 · 23 mi
- DilleyCategory 1 · 10 mi
- MicoCategory 1 · 70 mi
- HondoCategory 1 · 54 mi
and 7 more
Other storms of the 1970 season
- AlmaCategory 1 · 569 cities
- BeckyTropical storm · 41 cities
- Unnamed (AL081970)Category 1 · 104 cities
- FeliceTropical storm · 122 cities
- GretaTropical storm · 7 cities
About this record
The track is the National Hurricane Center's best-track record, revised after the season with every observation available. Strength at a city is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, not the wind that city measured.