1986 Atlantic hurricane season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Season summary map |
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| First storm formed: | June 5, 1986 |
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| Last storm dissipated: | November 21, 1986 |
| Strongest storm: | Earl - 978 mbar (28.88 inHg), 105 mph (165 km/h) |
| Total storms: | 6 |
| Major storms (Cat. 3+): | 0 |
| Total damage: | $3 million (1986 USD) $5.2 million (2005 USD) |
| Total fatalities: | 9 |
| Atlantic hurricane seasons 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 |
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The 1986 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1986, and lasted until November 30, 1986. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.
The 1986 season had lower than average activity because of an El Niño event, and was the first season since 1972 to have no major hurricanes. Few storms caused significant damage; Hurricane Bonnie caused heavy rains and flooding across southeast Texas when it made landfall near Sea Rim State Park. Hurricane Charley caused limited damage in North Carolina and Massachusetts, but crossed the Atlantic as an extratropical low pressure system and caused considerable damage in Ireland and Great Britain.
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[edit] Storms
[edit] Tropical Storm Andrew
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| Andrew satellite map and track map | |
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Tropical Depression One formed on June 5 north of the Bahamas. It strengthened into Tropical Storm Andrew the next day. Andrew headed along the East Coast of the United States, causing riptides and high surf along the shore but little else. Andrew dissipated south of Cape Cod. One person drowned off the North Carolina coast in high surf, but no significant damage was reported.
[edit] Hurricane Bonnie
- Main article: Hurricane Bonnie (1986)
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| Bonnie satellite map and track map | |
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Tropical Depression Two formed south of the Louisiana coast on June 23 and quickly strengthened into a hurricane. Bonnie made landfall on the upper Texas coast near High Island. Streets were flooded throughout Southeast Texas, mobile homes were destroyed, and three people were killed. Bonnie caused $2 million (1986 USD) in damage.
[edit] Hurricane Charley
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| Charley satellite map and track map | |
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- Main article: Hurricane Charley (1986)
A tropical depression formed off the coast of the Florida Panhandle and moved inland. The depression moved off the coast near Savannah, Georgia and strengthened into Tropical Storm Charley. Continuing up the coastline, the storm strengthened into a hurricane before moving across the Outer Banks and Delmarva Peninsula. Charley turned out to sea, became extratropical in the North Atlantic, and later brought severe weather across the British Isles on August 25 where it caused widespread damage.
[edit] Tropical Storm Danielle
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| Danielle satellite map and track map | |
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On September 1, a tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa and headed westward. The disturbance was below the 10 degree latitude as it organized into a tropical depression on September 7 and then a tropical storm later that day. Danielle peaked as a 60 mph storm on the 8th, while Reconnaissance Aircraft reported gusts of up to hurricane force. After passing through the Lesser Antilles, Danielle encountered vertical wind shear, and on the 10th it dissipated in the central Caribbean Sea. [1] The remnants continued westward and ultimately regenerated into Tropical Storm Lester. [2]
The islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines experienced wind gusts up to hurricane force, causing severe power outages and causing roof damage. In the Grenadines, the storm drove a coast guard ship aground,[1] while five people were injured and hundreds of homes were destroyed. Torrential rainfall produced several mudslides, which, in turn, damaged roads, bridges, electricity, and water services. [3] Danielle also destroyed twelve homes on the island of Barbados. [4] In Trinidad and Tobago, strong flooding of up to four feet caused 27 landslides, destroying four bridges. The storm caused $8 million dollars in damage in Tobago. [5] Total damage from the storm amounted to $9.2 million (1986 USD), mostly to crops, though no deaths were reported. [6]
[edit] Hurricane Earl
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| Earl satellite map and track map | |
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The strongest storm of the season began as a tropical wave off Africa on September 4. After moving across the tropical Atlantic Ocean it strengthened as Tropical Depression Five on September 10 while about 1240 miles (2000 km) east of Puerto Rico. The depression quickly strengthened and reached hurricane strength the next day, peaked as a Category 2 on September 12 as it made a half circle, weakened to a Category 1 on September 16 and bounced back the way it came. Earl then turned north and became extratropical southeast of Newfoundland on September 19. At its peak, Earl had sustained winds of 105 mph (170 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 979 mbar. [3]
[edit] Hurricane Frances
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| Frances satellite map and track map | |
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Tropical Depression Six formed on November 18 and quickly strengthened into a tropical storm. The storm curved northeast and strengthened further, reaching hurricane strength on November 20. However, a high pressure system to the north caused the storm to fall apart. Frances was absorbed by an extratropical low on the 21st.
[edit] Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Rating
| ACE (104kt2) – Storm: Source | |||||
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| 1 | 19.7 | Earl | 4 | 2.94 | Bonnie |
| 2 | 5.63 | Charley | 5 | 2.19 | Andrew |
| 3 | 3.80 | Frances | 6 | 1.56 | Danielle |
| Total= 35.7925 (36) | |||||
The table on the right shows the ACE for each storm in the season. The ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed for, so hurricanes that lasted a long time have higher ACEs.
[edit] 1986 storm names
The following names were used for named storms that formed in the north Atlantic in 1986. No names were retired, so it was used again in the 1992 season. This is the same list used for the 1980 season except for Andrew, which replaced Allen. A storm was named Andrew for the first time in 1986. Names that were not assigned are marked in gray.
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[edit] Retirement
- See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricanes
The World Meteorological Organization retired no names used in the 1986 season.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Monthly Weather Review
- Detailed information on all storms from 1986
- U.S. Rainfall information on tropical cyclones from 1986
![[3]](ftp://ftp.nhc.noaa.gov/pub/storm_archives/atlantic/prelimat/atl1986/earl/prelim03.gif){kind=link}
![[1]](ftp://ftp.nhc.noaa.gov/pub/storm_archives/atlantic/prelimat/atl1986/danielle/prelim01.gif){kind=link}