1986 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Lola 1986
Typhoon Lola developed in May 1986 as a northern counterpart to Cyclone Namu in the South Pacific. Its early eastward motion brought destructive conditions to Pohnpei before the storm turned northwest and intensified over open water.
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173 mph
May 19, 1986 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Eastward development near Micronesia
Lola formed within the monsoon trough south of Guam. Unlike many westward-moving Pacific storms, its developing circulation initially traveled east. It organized into a tropical storm on 17 May and passed over Pohnpei.
The storm was described as Pohnpei's most destructive cyclone since 1958. Damage prompted a United States major-disaster declaration on 3 June, allowing assistance for the affected island.
Rapid May intensification
Lola became a typhoon on 18 May and turned northwest. Rapid intensification followed, with archived one-minute winds reaching 150 kt late on 19 May. The minimum archived central pressure was 910 hPa.
The storm curved north and northeast, then weakened. It fell to tropical-storm strength and became extratropical on 23 May. The archive follows its later circulation through 25 May.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Lola in brief
What was Typhoon Lola's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on May 19, 1986, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Lola?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on May 19, 1986, 12:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Lola's lowest pressure?
910 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on May 19, 1986, 12:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Lola occur?
The archived track runs from May 14, 1986, 12:00 AM UTC to May 25, 1986, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from May 14, 1986, 12:00 AM UTC to May 23, 1986, 09:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Lola form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1986 season. Its first archived position is 8.3°N, 148.6°E on May 14, 1986, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Lola make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Lola's center over land, but positions are six-hourly and a brief landfall can fall between them.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology