Leslie formed from a non-tropical low that developed on a front about 700 nautical miles west-southwest of the westernmost Azores. It became a subtropical storm on 23 September 2018, meandered for days, weakened and became extratropical, then re-formed as a subtropical and later tropical cyclone. Leslie spent about three weeks wandering across the subtropical Atlantic with multiple changes in structure and direction before finally being drawn northeastward by the mid-latitude westerlies and reaching the coast of Portugal on 13 October.
Leslie made landfall in Portugal as an extratropical cyclone near Figueira da Foz shortly after 2100 UTC on 13 October 2018. Earlier in its life it did not make tropical landfalls; impacts to land prior to Portugal were limited to large ocean swells affecting the U.S. East Coast and marine observations.
The hurricane’s maximum sustained winds peaked at 80 knots (about 92 mph) early on 12 October, with a minimum central pressure near 968 mb. At that peak it was a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale.
Storm surge and rainfall impacts varied by region. Large swells from Leslie affected the U.S. East Coast, notably the North Carolina Outer Banks, at the end of September and early October. Near Portugal, a wind gust to 95 knots was reported at Figueira da Foz as the system was extratropical. The remnants produced heavy rains in southern France, with over 14 inches (more than 350 mm) reported in 24 hours in parts of that region.
There were no reported deaths or damage while Leslie was tropical or subtropical. After becoming extratropical, the storm caused one death in Portugal from a falling tree and 27 injuries. Flooding from the remnants in southern France caused at least 10 deaths.
Noteworthy aspects include Leslie’s unusually long and erratic lifespan with multiple transitions between extratropical, subtropical, and tropical phases, and the issuance of the first-ever tropical cyclone watch and warning for Madeira Island (tropical storm watch 11 October, upgraded to warning 12 October). Forecast track guidance showed large spread late in Leslie’s life, making long-range track forecasts challenging, though NHC intensity forecasts for Leslie performed well.
Paid members can generate summaries tailored to the counties of their choice. The Leslie TCR covers impacts across many counties and states — a Pinellas County resident doesn't need the Asheville detail, and a Buncombe County resident doesn't need the Tampa surge data.
Upgrade for county-specific summariesSummary above produced from the National Hurricane Center's official post-storm Tropical Cyclone Report. Read the full report for casualty lists, damage estimates by area, forecast critique, and detailed meteorological discussion:
📄 Read NHC's full report on Leslie → (opens at nhc.noaa.gov)| Time (UTC) | Status | Lat | Lon | Winds (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-09-22 00:00 | EX | 35.00 | -45.00 | 25 | 1008 | |
| 2018-09-22 06:00 | EX | 34.40 | -44.20 | 30 | 1005 | |
| 2018-09-22 12:00 | EX | 33.70 | -44.20 | 35 | 1003 | |
| 2018-09-22 18:00 | EX | 33.30 | -44.60 | 35 | 1003 | |
| 2018-09-23 00:00 | EX | 33.20 | -45.20 | 35 | 1003 | |
| 2018-09-23 06:00 | EX | 33.00 | -45.90 | 35 | 1002 | |
| 2018-09-23 12:00 | SS | 33.20 | -46.50 | 35 | 1002 | |
| 2018-09-23 18:00 | SS | 33.50 | -47.00 | 35 | 1002 | |
| 2018-09-24 00:00 | SS | 33.50 | -47.80 | 35 | 1004 | |
| 2018-09-24 06:00 | SS | 32.90 | -48.50 | 35 | 1004 | |
| 2018-09-24 12:00 | SS | 32.80 | -47.90 | 35 | 1004 | |
| 2018-09-24 18:00 | SS | 33.00 | -47.60 | 35 | 1004 | |
| 2018-09-25 00:00 | SD | 32.70 | -47.20 | 30 | 1005 | |
| 2018-09-25 06:00 | SD | 32.10 | -46.70 | 30 | 1005 | |
| 2018-09-25 12:00 | EX | 31.70 | -45.20 | 30 | 1005 | |
| 2018-09-25 18:00 | EX | 32.90 | -44.30 | 40 | 1000 | |
| 2018-09-26 00:00 | EX | 32.60 | -42.60 | 50 | 998 | |
| 2018-09-26 06:00 | EX | 32.30 | -40.30 | 55 | 992 | |
| 2018-09-26 12:00 | EX | 33.80 | -38.50 | 55 | 987 | |
| 2018-09-26 18:00 | EX | 36.10 | -38.60 | 60 | 978 | |
| 2018-09-27 00:00 | EX | 37.30 | -40.40 | 65 | 970 | |
| 2018-09-27 06:00 | EX | 37.10 | -41.60 | 65 | 970 | |
| 2018-09-27 12:00 | EX | 37.00 | -42.50 | 65 | 970 | |
| 2018-09-27 18:00 | EX | 37.00 | -43.40 | 60 | 978 | |
| 2018-09-28 00:00 | EX | 36.90 | -44.50 | 50 | 983 | |
| 2018-09-28 06:00 | EX | 36.60 | -45.30 | 50 | 983 | |
| 2018-09-28 12:00 | SS | 36.40 | -46.40 | 45 | 986 | |
| 2018-09-28 18:00 | SS | 36.30 | -47.40 | 45 | 986 | |
| 2018-09-29 00:00 | SS | 35.90 | -48.90 | 40 | 991 | |
| 2018-09-29 06:00 | SS | 35.40 | -50.00 | 40 | 991 | |
| 2018-09-29 12:00 | SS | 34.70 | -50.60 | 40 | 991 | |
| 2018-09-29 18:00 | TS | 34.30 | -51.30 | 45 | 991 | |
| 2018-09-30 00:00 | TS | 34.00 | -51.70 | 45 | 991 | |
| 2018-09-30 06:00 | TS | 33.80 | -52.20 | 45 | 991 | |
| 2018-09-30 12:00 | TS | 33.70 | -52.60 | 45 | 991 | |
| 2018-09-30 18:00 | TS | 33.60 | -53.00 | 45 | 991 | |
| 2018-10-01 00:00 | TS | 33.50 | -53.40 | 45 | 991 | |
| 2018-10-01 06:00 | TS | 33.30 | -53.70 | 50 | 990 | |
| 2018-10-01 12:00 | TS | 33.10 | -54.10 | 50 | 990 | |
| 2018-10-01 18:00 | TS | 32.80 | -54.40 | 50 | 990 | |
| 2018-10-02 00:00 | TS | 32.40 | -54.90 | 50 | 990 | |
| 2018-10-02 06:00 | TS | 31.90 | -55.40 | 55 | 989 | |
| 2018-10-02 12:00 | TS | 31.20 | -55.90 | 55 | 989 | |
| 2018-10-02 18:00 | TS | 30.40 | -56.20 | 60 | 986 | |
| 2018-10-03 00:00 | TS | 29.80 | -56.60 | 60 | 984 | |
| 2018-10-03 06:00 | HU | 29.60 | -56.80 | 65 | 980 | |
| 2018-10-03 12:00 | HU | 29.50 | -56.80 | 75 | 972 | |
| 2018-10-03 18:00 | HU | 29.80 | -56.90 | 75 | 970 | |
| 2018-10-04 00:00 | HU | 30.30 | -57.00 | 75 | 972 | |
| 2018-10-04 06:00 | HU | 30.90 | -57.10 | 70 | 976 | |
| 2018-10-04 12:00 | HU | 31.70 | -57.20 | 65 | 979 | |
| 2018-10-04 18:00 | TS | 32.80 | -57.30 | 60 | 982 | |
| 2018-10-05 00:00 | TS | 34.20 | -57.60 | 55 | 984 | |
| 2018-10-05 06:00 | TS | 35.20 | -58.20 | 55 | 986 | |
| 2018-10-05 12:00 | TS | 35.90 | -58.30 | 55 | 986 | |
| 2018-10-05 18:00 | TS | 36.20 | -58.10 | 50 | 987 | |
| 2018-10-06 00:00 | TS | 36.50 | -57.60 | 50 | 987 | |
| 2018-10-06 06:00 | TS | 36.90 | -57.00 | 50 | 987 | |
| 2018-10-06 12:00 | TS | 37.40 | -56.40 | 50 | 987 | |
| 2018-10-06 18:00 | TS | 37.50 | -55.10 | 50 | 987 | |
| 2018-10-07 00:00 | TS | 37.40 | -53.70 | 50 | 987 | |
| 2018-10-07 06:00 | TS | 37.10 | -52.50 | 50 | 987 | |
| 2018-10-07 12:00 | TS | 36.50 | -51.60 | 50 | 987 | |
| 2018-10-07 18:00 | TS | 36.10 | -50.50 | 50 | 987 | |
| 2018-10-08 00:00 | TS | 35.80 | -49.40 | 45 | 989 | |
| 2018-10-08 06:00 | TS | 35.50 | -48.50 | 45 | 989 | |
| 2018-10-08 12:00 | TS | 34.90 | -47.40 | 45 | 989 | |
| 2018-10-08 18:00 | TS | 34.30 | -46.20 | 50 | 986 | |
| 2018-10-09 00:00 | TS | 33.50 | -45.10 | 55 | 983 | |
| 2018-10-09 06:00 | TS | 32.70 | -44.20 | 55 | 983 | |
| 2018-10-09 12:00 | TS | 31.60 | -43.60 | 55 | 983 | |
| 2018-10-09 18:00 | TS | 30.70 | -43.10 | 60 | 983 | |
| 2018-10-10 00:00 | HU | 29.80 | -42.70 | 65 | 981 | |
| 2018-10-10 06:00 | HU | 28.80 | -42.70 | 65 | 981 | |
| 2018-10-10 12:00 | HU | 28.10 | -42.50 | 65 | 980 | |
| 2018-10-10 18:00 | HU | 27.70 | -42.20 | 65 | 980 | |
| 2018-10-11 00:00 | HU | 27.70 | -41.60 | 70 | 978 | |
| 2018-10-11 06:00 | HU | 28.10 | -40.70 | 70 | 978 | |
| 2018-10-11 12:00 | HU | 28.80 | -39.30 | 70 | 978 | |
| 2018-10-11 18:00 | HU | 29.50 | -37.50 | 75 | 976 | |
| 2018-10-12 00:00 | HU | 30.40 | -35.20 | 80 | 968 | |
| 2018-10-12 06:00 | HU | 31.40 | -32.50 | 80 | 968 | |
| 2018-10-12 12:00 | HU | 32.60 | -29.60 | 75 | 971 | |
| 2018-10-12 18:00 | HU | 33.40 | -26.30 | 75 | 971 | |
| 2018-10-13 00:00 | HU | 34.20 | -22.40 | 70 | 976 | |
| 2018-10-13 06:00 | HU | 35.50 | -18.30 | 65 | 977 | |
| 2018-10-13 12:00 | HU | 37.20 | -14.10 | 65 | 979 | |
| 2018-10-13 18:00 | EX | 39.30 | -10.50 | 60 | 984 | |
| 2018-10-14 00:00 | EX | 41.10 | -7.60 | 40 | 998 |
Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 best-track database (nhc.noaa.gov/data). Data is in the public domain. Best-track positions and intensities are post-storm reanalysis estimates and may differ from real-time advisories.