Hurricane Charley (1986)
Hurricane Charley reached Category 1 in the North Atlantic between August 13, 1986 and August 30, 1986, with a lowest pressure of 980 mb, and made landfall. It killed 15 people, as Wikidata records it.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Hurricane Charley, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 1986 season in the same basin behind it, and its wind and pressure hour by hour. Every fix is in the track table below.
The storm
- Basin
- North Atlantic
- Dates
- August 13, 1986 to August 30, 1986
- Peak strength
- Category 1, 70 kt (81 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 980 mb (28.94 inHg)
- Landfall
- Yes
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 5.6
- Fastest the center moved
- 34 kt (39 mph)
- Identifier
- AL051986
Deaths and damage
The sources count different things and are not added together.
Wikidata
15 deathsno damage figure
A community-maintained total, usually direct and indirect deaths together and damage worldwide. Joined to this storm by its IBTrACS serial, not by name.
Landfall
| Time (UTC) | Where | Position | Wind | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 14:00 | Gloucester, NC, 5 km away | 34.7N 76.5W | 65 kt (75 mph) | 990 mb |
Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.
Rainfall
The Weather Prediction Center attributes 650 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 8.61 inches (219 mm).
| Station | Total | Position |
|---|---|---|
| STEINHATCHEE 6 ENE | 8.61 in (219 mm) | 29.72N 83.30W |
| MANTEO AIRPORT | 7.13 in (181 mm) | 35.92N 75.70W |
| USHER TOWER | 6.88 in (175 mm) | 29.42N 82.82W |
| TRYON | 6.88 in (175 mm) | 35.20N 82.23W |
| FOREST CITY 6 SW | 6.50 in (165 mm) | 35.27N 81.93W |
| CROSS CITY 2 WNW | 5.67 in (144 mm) | 29.65N 83.17W |
| WARRENTON | 5.47 in (139 mm) | 33.40N 82.63W |
| MONTEZUMA | 5.02 in (128 mm) | 32.28N 84.03W |
| BAYBORO 3 E | 4.99 in (127 mm) | 35.15N 76.72W |
| CHARLESTON CITY | 4.85 in (123 mm) | 32.78N 79.93W |
| PERRY | 4.66 in (118 mm) | 30.10N 83.57W |
| MAYO | 4.60 in (117 mm) | 30.05N 83.18W |
WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 12:00 | 30.1N 84.0W | 10 kt | 1009 mb | Subtropical depression |
| Aug 13, 18:00 | 30.8N 84.0W | 10 kt | 1012 mb | Subtropical depression |
| Aug 14, 00:00 | 31.4N 83.6W | 10 kt | 1013 mb | Subtropical depression |
| Aug 14, 06:00 | 32.0N 83.1W | 10 kt | 1014 mb | Subtropical depression |
| Aug 14, 12:00 | 32.5N 82.5W | 10 kt | 1015 mb | Subtropical depression |
| Aug 14, 18:00 | 32.4N 82.0W | 10 kt | 1015 mb | Subtropical depression |
| Aug 15, 00:00 | 32.3N 81.2W | 15 kt | 1013 mb | Subtropical depression |
| Aug 15, 06:00 | 32.3N 80.0W | 15 kt | 1013 mb | Subtropical depression |
| Aug 15, 12:00 | 32.2N 79.0W | 30 kt | 1009 mb | Tropical depression |
| Aug 15, 18:00 | 32.2N 78.5W | 35 kt | 1007 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 16, 00:00 | 32.3N 78.1W | 40 kt | 1004 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 16, 06:00 | 32.4N 77.9W | 40 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 16, 12:00 | 32.6N 77.6W | 45 kt | 999 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 16, 18:00 | 32.9N 77.4W | 50 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 17, 00:00 | 33.2N 77.1W | 55 kt | 995 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 17, 06:00 | 33.7N 76.9W | 60 kt | 993 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 17, 12:00 | 34.4N 76.6W | 65 kt | 991 mb | Hurricane |
| Aug 17, 14:00 landfall | 34.7N 76.5W | 65 kt | 990 mb | Hurricane |
| Aug 17, 18:00 | 35.4N 76.2W | 65 kt | 988 mb | Hurricane |
| Aug 18, 00:00 | 36.5N 75.8W | 70 kt | 987 mb | Hurricane |
| Aug 18, 06:00 | 37.4N 75.2W | 65 kt | 990 mb | Hurricane |
| Aug 18, 12:00 | 38.2N 74.1W | 60 kt | 992 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 18, 18:00 | 39.0N 72.6W | 60 kt | 994 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 19, 00:00 | 39.7N 70.9W | 55 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 19, 06:00 | 40.4N 69.1W | 50 kt | 999 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 19, 12:00 | 40.9N 67.5W | 45 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 19, 18:00 | 41.3N 65.8W | 45 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 20, 00:00 | 41.5N 64.0W | 40 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 20, 06:00 | 41.6N 62.5W | 40 kt | 1004 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 20, 12:00 | 41.7N 60.2W | 40 kt | 1005 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 20, 18:00 | 41.7N 58.4W | 40 kt | 1005 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 21, 00:00 | 41.6N 56.6W | 40 kt | 1000 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 21, 06:00 | 41.5N 54.8W | 40 kt | 997 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 21, 12:00 | 41.4N 53.2W | 40 kt | 992 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 21, 18:00 | 41.3N 51.2W | 45 kt | 991 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 22, 00:00 | 41.3N 49.4W | 45 kt | 990 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 22, 06:00 | 41.3N 47.6W | 45 kt | 989 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 22, 12:00 | 41.4N 46.2W | 45 kt | 989 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 22, 18:00 | 41.5N 44.8W | 45 kt | 989 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 23, 00:00 | 41.8N 43.2W | 45 kt | 988 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 23, 06:00 | 42.3N 41.6W | 45 kt | 989 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 23, 12:00 | 43.0N 39.6W | 45 kt | 989 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 23, 18:00 | 43.9N 37.2W | 45 kt | 989 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 24, 00:00 | 44.9N 34.4W | 45 kt | 990 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 24, 06:00 | 46.0N 31.6W | 40 kt | 992 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 24, 12:00 | 47.0N 28.8W | 40 kt | 995 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 24, 18:00 | 48.2N 26.0W | 40 kt | 997 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 25, 00:00 | 49.2N 21.6W | 40 kt | 999 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 25, 06:00 | 50.0N 16.4W | 40 kt | 1000 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 25, 12:00 | 50.7N 11.4W | 40 kt | 994 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 25, 18:00 | 51.4N 7.2W | 50 kt | 988 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 26, 00:00 | 52.2N 4.4W | 45 kt | 981 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 26, 06:00 | 52.9N 2.0W | 45 kt | 980 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 26, 12:00 | 53.6N 0.0E | 45 kt | 982 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 26, 18:00 | 54.3N 2.0E | 45 kt | 986 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 27, 00:00 | 55.0N 3.7E | 45 kt | 984 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 27, 06:00 | 55.5N 5.0E | 45 kt | 983 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 27, 12:00 | 56.0N 5.8E | 35 kt | 985 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 27, 18:00 | 56.3N 6.0E | 35 kt | 989 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 28, 00:00 | 56.6N 6.0E | 35 kt | 989 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 28, 06:00 | 56.8N 6.0E | 35 kt | 991 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 28, 12:00 | 57.0N 6.0E | 30 kt | 998 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 28, 18:00 | 57.0N 5.5E | 30 kt | 999 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 29, 00:00 | 57.0N 5.0E | 25 kt | 1002 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 29, 06:00 | 56.8N 5.0E | 20 kt | 1004 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 29, 12:00 | 56.5N 5.0E | 20 kt | 1004 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 29, 18:00 | 56.2N 6.0E | 15 kt | 1004 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 30, 00:00 | 56.2N 8.0E | 15 kt | 1006 mb | Extratropical |
Other North Atlantic storms of 1986
- Tropical Storm AndrewNorth Atlantic · 1986
- Hurricane BonnieNorth Atlantic · 1986
- Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 1986
- Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 1986
- Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 1986
- Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 1986
- Tropical Storm DanielleNorth Atlantic · 1986
- Hurricane EarlNorth Atlantic · 1986
- Hurricane FrancesNorth Atlantic · 1986
What this means
A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.
Sources
Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.
The National Hurricane Center has published no tropical cyclone report for this storm.