Furthest north CAT4 hurricane in the Atlantic is Ella of '78

[Cyclenall]

I found the furthest north category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic so far to be Hurricane Ella of 1978 during the peak of the season:



It reached 42.50 latitude. Is there any recorded hurricane at that strength any higher?

It would be quite something for eastern Canada to get that direct hit!

[Frank2]

There was a hurricane that made "landfall" on Iceland, but, I can't recall which one...

[WmE]

There was a hurricane that made "landfall" on Iceland, but, I can't recall which one...

Iceland?? I don't think so. But there was Hurricane Faith in 1966 which made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on the Faroe Islands.

[Frank2]

Ah - that's the one (Hurricane Faith) - well, I knew it was Iceland or close to it (from what I just read, the Faroe Islands are halfway between Iceland and Norway)...

It's Friday - my brain is toasty...

LOL

[WmE]

Ah - that's the one (Hurricane Faith) - well, I knew it was Iceland or close to it (from what I just read, the Faroe Islands are halfway between Iceland and Norway)...

It's Friday - my brain is toasty...

LOL

Here's the track. It also made landfall in Norway just after becoming extratropical.

[Frank2]

Yipes - can you imagine the posts here concerning a track like that ("JB says look out Florida and/or North Carolina and/or New England!")

LOL

[Cyclenall]

The main subject was a CAT4 hurricane (not just a weak hurricane) being the furthest north.

I always wondered though how Faith didn't become extratropical up there soon enough.

[Category 5]

Faith was almost certainly extratropical long before reaching the Faroe Islands.

[Cyclenall]

Faith was almost certainly extratropical long before reaching the Faroe Islands.

Do you think it's going to be updated later on that Faith isn't as impressive as we first thought? I doubt it too but I ponder why this one was kept tropical that far north unlike others in years past.

[CrazyC83]

I found the furthest north category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic so far to be Hurricane Ella of 1978 during the peak of the season:



It reached 42.50 latitude. Is there any recorded hurricane at that strength any higher?

It would be quite something for eastern Canada to get that direct hit!

I think emergency planners in Atlantic Canada should be using Ella as their baseline - imagine if it had turned left and hit the coast directly - it would have been at least a strong Category 3 at landfall, which is quite a bit stronger than Juan ever was...

That probably had some intense baroclinic energy pushing into a tropical structure in order to get those 140 mph winds...