Hurricane Charley (1986)
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- This article is about the Atlantic hurricane of 1986. For the 2004 destructive storm, see the main article, Hurricane Charley. For other storms of the same name, see Hurricane Charley (disambiguation).
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
 Hurricane Charley southeast of South Carolina |
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| Formed | August 13, 1986 | |
| Dissipated | August 20, 1986 | |
| Highest winds |
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| Lowest pressure | 987 mbar (as a tropical system, 980 mbar as extratropical) | |
| Damage | $59.2 million (2005 USD) | |
| Fatalities | 2 direct, 3 indirect | |
| Areas affected |
Florida Panhandle, Georgia, North Carolina, Delmarva Peninsula, Massachusetts, Ireland, United Kingdom | |
| Part of the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season |
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Hurricane Charley, the third tropical storm and second hurricane of the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season, was a weak hurricane that brought extensive damage to Ireland and Great Britain after becoming extratropical.
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[edit] Storm history
A trough of low pressure existed over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico in early to mid-August. An increase of showers and thunderstorms led to the formation of a circulation center, and a subtropical depression formed on August 13 over the western Florida Panhandle. As it drifted northeastward, it merged with a decaying frontal boundary, and quickly organized. Convection became more concentrated and on August 15, upon reaching the Atlantic Ocean near Savannah, Georgia, it was declared a tropical depression. Later that night, with favorable conditions over the Gulf Stream, it became Tropical Storm Charley.
A weak ridge to Charley's north allowed for a slow northeast movement. The storm continued to steadily strengthen, and attained hurricane status on August 17. Hurricane warnings were posted for much of the East Coast of the United States, and on the night of the 17th Charley crossed over the Outer Banks of North Carolina. A developing trough to its southeast brought it northeastward, where it crossed over the Delmarva Peninsula before reaching the Atlantic Ocean.
After being over land for 24 hours and existing in an area near a frontal trough, Charley weakened to a tropical storm on August 18 while just east of the Delmarva Peninsula. Guided by the trough, the storm turned east-northeastward, and passed near Nantucket, Massachusetts before moving out to sea. Under unfavorable conditions, Charley weakened until becoming extratropical on August 20 over the open Atlantic Ocean. The extratropical storm raced eastward, and crossed over Ireland and Great Britain on August 26. Over the North Sea, steering currents collapsed, leading the extratropical low to loop before dissipating on August 30 near Denmark.
[edit] Impact
As the hurricane moved up the coast, it caused moderate yet beneficial rainfall for the drought of the east coast. Charley's wind and slow movement caused 2 to 3 foot higher tides, causing $1.015 million in damage (1986 USD, $1.7 million 2005 USD). Five deaths were reported from the hurricane, of which three were from a plane crash.
When it hit Europe as an extratropical storm, Charley's strong winds and rain caused structural damage to houses and bridges, along with large-scale uprooting of trees. Abnormally large amounts of rainfall occurred, particularly in Ireland, resulting in extensive flooding amounting to over 5 inches in an already wet and cold month. At the time, Charley caused the most insured losses in Irish history, amounting to IR£25 million (1986 Irish Pounds, €47 million 2002 Euro, $57.5 million 2005 USD). The current record is for a storm in December of 1997.
The name Charley was not retired after 1986; it would be used again for weak storms in 1992 and 1998, however, the name was retired after a destructive Hurricane Charley in 2004 and replaced by Colin for the 2010 season.
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[edit] Sources
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