A strong tropical wave moved off west Africa on 10 September and became Tropical Depression Twenty on 12 September about 500 nautical miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. The system became Tropical Storm Teddy on 14 September, then a hurricane on 16 September. Teddy went through two periods of rapid strengthening, reached major hurricane strength on 17 September, and followed a generally west-northwest then northward track across the central Atlantic. It grew extremely large after interacting with a trough on 21–22 September, began extratropical transition late on 22 September, and was absorbed by a larger non-tropical low after 24 September.
Teddy did not make landfall in the tropics. As an extratropical cyclone it moved onshore in Nova Scotia near Ecum Secum on 23 September at about 1200 UTC with sustained winds estimated at 55 kt (63 mph). The system then crossed eastern Nova Scotia and the Gulf of St. Lawrence before being absorbed near eastern Labrador early on 24 September.
The storm’s peak intensity was 120 kt (140 mph) with a minimum central pressure of 945 mb near 0000 UTC 18 September, making it a Category 4 hurricane at its maximum. Aircraft reconnaissance and dropsonde data support the 120-kt/945-mb peak.
Teddy produced very large waves and elevated coastal water levels along the U.S. East Coast; tide gauges recorded peak departures above normal of about 2.77 ft at Fernandina Beach, Florida (20 Sept) and 2.74 ft at Duck, North Carolina (19 Sept). Charleston, South Carolina, recorded high water and downtown flooding with a peak gauge reading of 2.36 ft above Mean Higher High Water. In Atlantic Canada, the heaviest rainfall was in northeastern Nova Scotia, with 5.21 inches (132 mm) at Ingonish Beach; widespread 1–3 inch totals fell across eastern New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and southeastern Newfoundland. Bermuda saw dangerous surf and gusty winds but no major rainfall totals reported in the record.
There were three direct deaths in the United States associated with Teddy: two in Puerto Rico and one in New Jersey, all drownings from rip currents produced by Teddy’s large wave field. Damage was generally limited: estimates were $20 million or less (AON) in the U.S., mostly from coastal flooding and wave damage along the Southeast U.S. coast and the Outer Banks; Atlantic Canada reported mostly minor damage and about 18,000 customers lost power. Bermuda reported little damage and about 220 homes temporarily without power.
Notable aspects include Teddy’s long life and very large wind and wave field after a trough interaction that caused the tropical-storm-force wind radius to more than double in 12 hours on 22 September. NHC track forecasts verified well compared with recent averages, and genesis of the system was well anticipated at longer lead times; however, intensity guidance did not fully capture the second rapid intensification episode.
Paid members can generate summaries tailored to the counties of their choice. The Teddy 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 Teddy → (opens at nhc.noaa.gov)| Time (UTC) | Status | Lat | Lon | Winds (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-09-12 06:00 | TD | 11.00 | -31.40 | 25 | 1007 | |
| 2020-09-12 12:00 | TD | 11.20 | -32.40 | 30 | 1006 | |
| 2020-09-12 18:00 | TD | 11.40 | -33.30 | 30 | 1005 | |
| 2020-09-13 00:00 | TD | 11.60 | -34.20 | 30 | 1005 | |
| 2020-09-13 06:00 | TD | 11.90 | -35.10 | 30 | 1005 | |
| 2020-09-13 12:00 | TD | 12.20 | -36.20 | 30 | 1006 | |
| 2020-09-13 18:00 | TD | 12.60 | -37.40 | 30 | 1006 | |
| 2020-09-14 00:00 | TS | 12.90 | -38.70 | 35 | 1004 | |
| 2020-09-14 06:00 | TS | 12.90 | -40.40 | 35 | 1004 | |
| 2020-09-14 12:00 | TS | 12.90 | -42.10 | 35 | 1004 | |
| 2020-09-14 18:00 | TS | 12.90 | -43.40 | 40 | 1003 | |
| 2020-09-15 00:00 | TS | 13.00 | -44.50 | 45 | 1002 | |
| 2020-09-15 06:00 | TS | 13.40 | -45.50 | 50 | 1001 | |
| 2020-09-15 12:00 | TS | 13.80 | -46.60 | 55 | 999 | |
| 2020-09-15 18:00 | TS | 14.20 | -47.40 | 55 | 997 | |
| 2020-09-16 00:00 | HU | 14.70 | -48.00 | 65 | 987 | |
| 2020-09-16 06:00 | HU | 15.40 | -48.60 | 80 | 978 | |
| 2020-09-16 12:00 | HU | 16.10 | -49.30 | 85 | 972 | |
| 2020-09-16 18:00 | HU | 16.80 | -50.20 | 85 | 972 | |
| 2020-09-17 00:00 | HU | 17.40 | -51.10 | 85 | 970 | |
| 2020-09-17 06:00 | HU | 18.10 | -52.00 | 90 | 966 | |
| 2020-09-17 12:00 | HU | 18.90 | -52.80 | 100 | 960 | |
| 2020-09-17 18:00 | HU | 19.70 | -53.70 | 115 | 948 | |
| 2020-09-18 00:00 | HU | 20.40 | -54.40 | 120 | 945 | |
| 2020-09-18 06:00 | HU | 21.10 | -55.10 | 115 | 946 | |
| 2020-09-18 12:00 | HU | 21.70 | -55.80 | 110 | 947 | |
| 2020-09-18 18:00 | HU | 22.50 | -56.50 | 105 | 949 | |
| 2020-09-19 00:00 | HU | 23.50 | -57.20 | 105 | 945 | |
| 2020-09-19 06:00 | HU | 24.40 | -57.90 | 100 | 947 | |
| 2020-09-19 12:00 | HU | 25.40 | -58.70 | 100 | 950 | |
| 2020-09-19 18:00 | HU | 26.20 | -59.70 | 100 | 953 | |
| 2020-09-20 00:00 | HU | 26.90 | -60.80 | 95 | 956 | |
| 2020-09-20 06:00 | HU | 27.50 | -61.90 | 90 | 958 | |
| 2020-09-20 12:00 | HU | 28.00 | -62.60 | 85 | 963 | |
| 2020-09-20 18:00 | HU | 28.50 | -63.30 | 80 | 964 | |
| 2020-09-21 00:00 | HU | 29.00 | -63.70 | 80 | 963 | |
| 2020-09-21 06:00 | HU | 29.70 | -63.50 | 80 | 962 | |
| 2020-09-21 12:00 | HU | 30.50 | -62.90 | 80 | 960 | |
| 2020-09-21 18:00 | HU | 32.20 | -61.80 | 80 | 958 | |
| 2020-09-22 00:00 | HU | 34.60 | -61.40 | 85 | 956 | |
| 2020-09-22 06:00 | HU | 37.60 | -62.10 | 90 | 952 | |
| 2020-09-22 12:00 | HU | 39.10 | -63.50 | 90 | 949 | |
| 2020-09-22 18:00 | HU | 40.30 | -64.20 | 80 | 952 | |
| 2020-09-23 00:00 | HU | 41.80 | -64.20 | 65 | 954 | |
| 2020-09-23 06:00 | EX | 43.20 | -63.30 | 60 | 957 | |
| 2020-09-23 12:00 | EX | 45.00 | -62.10 | 55 | 964 | |
| 2020-09-23 18:00 | EX | 47.40 | -60.40 | 50 | 974 | |
| 2020-09-24 00:00 | EX | 49.70 | -58.20 | 45 | 975 | |
| 2020-09-24 06:00 | EX | 52.80 | -55.80 | 40 | 977 |
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.