Cyclone Gista (1986)
Cyclone Gista reached Category 2 in the South Indian between February 18, 1986 and February 25, 1986, with a lowest pressure of 976 mb.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Cyclone Gista, 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
- South Indian
- Dates
- February 18, 1986 to February 25, 1986
- Peak strength
- Category 2, 85 kt (98 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 976 mb (28.82 inHg)
- Landfall
- No; closest approach 103 km (64 mi)
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 7.5
- Identifier
- SH191986
Deaths and damage
No source this site reads publishes a machine-readable casualty or damage figure for a storm of this era. The National Hurricane Center’s season tables begin in 1995 and carry deaths and damage only from 2005 in the Atlantic and 2020 in both basins; the US Storm Events record begins in 1996.
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 18, 06:00 | 18.2S 42.8E | 36 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 18, 12:00 | 17.8S 42.2E | 25 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 18, 18:00 | 18.0S 42.2E | 25 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 19, 00:00 | 18.3S 42.3E | 30 kt | 984 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 19, 06:00 | 18.6S 42.4E | 30 kt | 984 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 19, 12:00 | 18.9S 42.4E | 35 kt | 984 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 19, 18:00 | 19.2S 42.4E | 35 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 20, 00:00 | 19.5S 42.4E | 40 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 20, 06:00 | 19.9S 42.4E | 45 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 20, 12:00 | 20.4S 42.4E | 45 kt | 984 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 20, 18:00 | 21.1S 42.3E | 45 kt | 984 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 21, 00:00 | 21.8S 42.1E | 45 kt | 984 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 21, 06:00 | 22.4S 41.8E | 45 kt | 984 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 21, 12:00 | 23.0S 41.4E | 45 kt | 976 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 21, 18:00 | 23.7S 41.3E | 45 kt | 984 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 22, 00:00 | 24.6S 41.1E | 50 kt | 984 mb | Mixed |
| Feb 22, 06:00 | 25.5S 40.8E | 55 kt | 984 mb | Mixed |
| Feb 22, 12:00 | 26.5S 40.5E | 60 kt | 984 mb | Mixed |
| Feb 22, 18:00 | 27.3S 40.3E | 65 kt | 984 mb | Mixed |
| Feb 23, 00:00 | 28.1S 40.1E | 70 kt | 976 mb | Mixed |
| Feb 23, 06:00 | 29.2S 40.0E | 75 kt | 976 mb | Mixed |
| Feb 23, 12:00 | 30.6S 40.4E | 85 kt | 976 mb | Mixed |
| Feb 23, 18:00 | 32.1S 41.3E | 85 kt | Mixed | |
| Feb 24, 00:00 | 33.9S 42.2E | 80 kt | Mixed | |
| Feb 24, 06:00 | 36.0S 43.0E | 70 kt | Mixed | |
| Feb 24, 12:00 | 38.1S 43.9E | 55 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Feb 24, 18:00 | 39.9S 45.5E | 45 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Feb 25, 00:00 | 41.6S 48.1E | 35 kt | Tropical storm |
Other South Indian storms of 1986
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Indian · 1986
- Cyclone NicholasSouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Storm AlifredySouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Storm BerobiaSouth Indian · 1986
- Cyclone DelifinaSouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Storm OpheliaSouth Indian · 1986
- Cyclone CostaSouth Indian · 1986
- Unnamed tropical depressionSouth Indian · 1986
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Storm HectorSouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Storm PanchoSouth Indian · 1986
- Cyclone ErinestaSouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Storm FilomenaSouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Storm RhondaSouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Storm SelwynSouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Storm TiffanySouth Indian · 1986
- Cyclone VictorSouth Indian · 1986
- Cyclone HonorininaSouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Storm IarimaSouth Indian · 1986
- Cyclone JefotraSouth Indian · 1986
- Cyclone Alison:KrisostomaSouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Depression KrisostomaSouth Indian · 1986
- Cyclone Billy:LilaSouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Depression LilaSouth Indian · 1986
- Tropical Depression LilaSouth Indian · 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.