NORTH ATLANTIC · SEASON MAP
1986 Atlantic hurricane season
Every recorded track, mapped · 10 storms · 6 Jun 1986–21 Nov 1986
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| Andrew | – | 45 | Tropical storm | 999 | 1,010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonnie | – | 75 | Cat 1 | 990 | 1,020 |
| Unnamed | – | 30 | Tropical depression | — | 1,470 |
| Unnamed | – | 30 | Tropical depression | — | 370 |
| Charley | – | 70 | Cat 1 | 987 | 4,630 |
| Unnamed | – | 30 | Tropical depression | — | 1,810 |
| Unnamed | – | 30 | Tropical depression | — | 800 |
| Danielle | – | 50 | Tropical storm | 1000 | 1,580 |
| Earl | – | 90 | Cat 2 | 979 | 2,830 |
| Frances | – | 75 | Cat 1 | 1000 | 600 |
10 storms with an IBTrACS 1986 hurricane season record. Tracks are the archived center positions, first observation 6 Jun 1986, last 21 Nov 1986.
Tropical-stage US-agency wind of 34 kt or more
64 kt or more, one-minute sustained
96 kt or more, Saffir–Simpson scale
137 kt or more at any tropical-stage observation
90 kt · 104 mph / 167 km/h
Earl, 14 Sept 1986
Charley, full archive record
Mapped, but outside the counts above
QUICK ANSWERS
The 1986 season in brief
How many hurricanes were there in the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season?
The archive records 4 hurricanes (one-minute winds of 64 kt or more) among 6 tropical storms, with 0 major hurricanes reaching 96 kt. Counts use US-agency winds during the tropical stage.
What was the strongest storm of the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season?
Earl, with a peak one-minute sustained wind of 90 kt (Category 2) on 12 Sept 1986, 18:00 UTC and a minimum central pressure of 979 hPa.
How many Category 5 storms were there in 1986?
None. No storm in the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season reached Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale in the archive.
When did the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season start and end?
The first tropical-stage observation is on 6 Jun 1986 and the last on 21 Nov 1986, from 10 tracked storms in the archive.
What was the first hurricane of the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season?
Bonnie, which reached hurricane strength (64 kt) on 25 Jun 1986, 18:00 UTC.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and totals are generated from NOAA’s IBTrACS v04r01 archive. A storm belongs to this page when the archive lists it in the North Atlantic basin for the 1986 season, so a December storm whose track ends in January stays with its season. Storms that cross between basins appear on the page of their archive basin only.
Counts use US-agency one-minute winds during the tropical stage: 34 kt for a tropical storm, 64 kt for hurricane strength and 96 kt for major intensity, on the Saffir–Simpson scale in every basin. Local agencies classify storms differently, and official season summaries can differ from the archive. Accumulated cyclone energy sums squared winds at six-hourly synoptic times, counting observations in the calendar year. Storms with no US-agency wind are mapped but cannot enter the counts.
The map frame is the same for every North Atlantic season, so a track that leaves it is cut at the edge. Lines show each storm’s center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Coastlines use Natural Earth’s 1:10m land data.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive · Field documentation
Sources & methodology