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The 1986 Pacific hurricane season featured several
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
s that contributed to significant flooding to the
Central United States The Central United States is sometimes conceived as between the Eastern and Western as part of a three-region model, roughly coincident with the U.S. Census' definition of the Midwestern United States plus the western and central portions of ...
. The hurricane season officially started May 15, 1986, in the eastern Pacific, and June 1, 1986 in the central Pacific, and lasted until November 30, 1986 in both regions. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. A total of 17 named storms and 9 hurricanes developed during the season; this is slightly above the averages of 15 named storms and 8 hurricanes, respectively. In addition, 26 tropical depressions formed in the eastern Pacific during 1986, which, at the time, was the second most ever recorded; only the
1982 Pacific hurricane season The 1982 Pacific hurricane season, with 23 named storms, ranks as the fourth-most active Pacific hurricane season on record, tied with 2018. It was at that time the most active season in the basin until it was later surpassed by the 1985 season. I ...
saw a higher total. Several storms throughout the season affected land. Hurricane Estelle passed south of
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, resulting in $2 million in damage and two deaths. Hurricanes Newton,
Paine Paine may refer to: Geography *Paine, Chile *Paine College, a defunct Historically Black college in Augusta, Georgia *Paine Field, an airport in Everett, Washington, United States *Paine Lake, a lake in Minnesota *Paine River, a waterstream locate ...
and Roslyn each struck Northwestern Mexico. While damage was minimal from these three systems near their location of landfall, Paine brought considerable flooding to the
Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...
. The overall flooding event resulted in $350 million in damage, with the worst effects being recorded in
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
. Hurricane Roslyn was the strongest storm of the season, attaining peak winds of .


Seasonal summary

ImageSize = width:800 height:205 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20 Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:270 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/05/2013 till:11/11/2013 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/05/2013 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:TD value:rgb(0.38,0.73,1) legend:Tropical_Depression_=_<39_mph_(0–62_km/h)_(TD) id:TS value:rgb(0,0.98,0.96) legend:Tropical_Storm_=_39–73_mph_(63–117 km/h)_(TS) id:C1 value:rgb(1,1,0.80) legend:Category_1_=_74–95_mph_(118–153_km/h)_(C1) id:C2 value:rgb(1,0.91,0.46) legend:Category_2_=_96–110_mph_(154–177_km/h)_(C2) id:C3 value:rgb(1,0.76,0.25) legend:Category_3_=_111–129_mph_(178–208_km/h)_(C3) id:C4 value:rgb(1,0.56,0.13) legend:Category_4_=_130–156_mph_(209–251_km/h)_(C4) id:C5 value:rgb(1,0.38,0.38) legend:Category_5_=_≥157_mph_(≥252_km/h)_(C5) Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:11 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:22/05/2013 till:29/05/2013 color:C1 text:"Agatha (C1)" from:31/05/2013 till:01/06/2013 color:TD text:"Two (TD)" from:17/06/2013 till:19/06/2013 color:TS text:"Blas (TS)" from:24/06/2013 till:30/06/2013 color:C1 text:"Celia (C1)" from:03/07/2013 till:07/07/2013 color:TS text:"Darby (TS)" from:16/07/2013 till:26/07/2013 color:C4 text:" Estelle (C4)" from:17/07/2013 till:18/07/2013 color:TD text:"Seven (TD)" barset:break from:21/07/2013 till:24/07/2013 color:TD text:"Eight (TD)" from:24/07/2013 till:03/08/2013 color:C1 text:"Frank (C1)" from:24/07/2013 till:29/07/2013 color:TD text:"Ten (TD)" from:27/07/2013 till:29/07/2013 color:TD text:"One-C (TD)" from:03/08/2013 till:04/08/2013 color:TS text:"Georgette (TS)" from:12/08/2013 till:14/08/2013 color:TD text:"Twelve (TD)" from:16/08/2013 till:18/08/2013 color:TS text:"Howard (TS)" barset:break from:19/08/2013 till:24/08/2013 color:TS text:"Isis (TS)" from:20/08/2013 till:31/08/2013 color:C4 text:"Javier (C4)" from:28/08/2013 till:03/09/2013 color:TS text:"Kay (TS)" from:08/09/2013 till:09/09/2013 color:TD text:"Seventeen (TD)" from:13/09/2013 till:17/09/2013 color:TS text:"Lester (TS)" from:15/09/2013 till:22/09/2013 color:TS text:"Madeline (TS)" from:18/09/2013 till:24/09/2013 color:C1 text:"
Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...
(C1)" barset:break from:19/09/2013 till:19/09/2013 color:TD text:"Twenty-One (TD)" from:21/09/2013 till:25/09/2013 color:C1 text:"Orlene (C1)" from:28/09/2013 till:02/10/2013 color:C2 text:"
Paine Paine may refer to: Geography *Paine, Chile *Paine College, a defunct Historically Black college in Augusta, Georgia *Paine Field, an airport in Everett, Washington, United States *Paine Lake, a lake in Minnesota *Paine River, a waterstream locate ...
(C2)" from:15/10/2013 till:22/10/2013 color:C4 text:" Roslyn (C4)" from:24/10/2013 till:25/10/2013 color:TD text:"Twenty-Five (TD)" bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/05/2013 till:01/06/2013 text:May from:01/06/2013 till:01/07/2013 text:June from:01/07/2013 till:01/08/2013 text:July from:01/08/2013 till:01/09/2013 text:August from:01/09/2013 till:01/10/2013 text:September from:01/10/2013 till:01/11/2013 text:October TextData = pos:(570,30) text:"(From the" pos:(617,30) text:" Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale)"
Activity in the
Eastern Pacific Hurricane Center The Eastern Pacific Hurricane Center was formerly the center responsible for forecasting Pacific hurricanes in the eastern north Pacific east of 140°W. It was part of the Weather Bureau Forecast Office San Francisco and was based in Redwood City. ...
's (EPHC)
area of responsibility Area of responsibility (AOR) is a pre-defined geographic region assigned to Combatant commanders of the Unified Command Plan (UCP), that are used to define an area with specific geographic boundaries where they have the authority to plan and cond ...
was above average. There were 25 tropical depressions, one short of the record set in 1982, which had 26. Only one storm formed in the
Central Pacific Hurricane Center The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) of the United States National Weather Service is the official body responsible for tracking and issuing tropical cyclone warnings, watches, advisories, discussions, and statements for the Central Pacifi ...
's (CPHC) area of responsibility, Tropical Depression One-C. Six other cyclones entered the CPHC area of responsibility from the EPHC area of responsibility. In all, 17 systems formed, which is two storms above normal. In addition, 9 hurricanes were reported during the season, one more than average. An average number (3) of major hurricanes – Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale – was also reported. The season began with the formation of Hurricane Agatha on May 22 and ended with the dissipation of Tropical Depression Twenty Five on October 25, spanning 147 days. Although it was nearly two weeks shorter than the
1985 Pacific hurricane season The 1985 Pacific hurricane season is the third-most active Pacific hurricane season on record. It officially started on May 15, 1985, in the eastern Pacific, and on June 1, 1985, in the central Pacific, and lasted until November 30, 1985. These d ...
, the season was six days longer than average. The EPHC issued 406 tropical cyclone advisories, which were issued four times a day at 0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800  UTC. In 1986, hurricane hunters flew into three storms; Newton, Roslyn, and Estelle. In Newton, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
(NOAA) conducted environmental research in the cyclone. In addition, the
National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
Field Service Station provided the East Pacific with excellent satellite coverage. During the months of May and June, four named systems developed. In July, one tropical storm and two hurricanes formed. The following month, five tropical systems developed. Towards the end of the season, tropical cyclone activity declined somewhat. While five storms formed in September, only one formed in October and none during the month of November. A moderate
El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date L ...
was present throughout the season; water temperatures across the equatorial Central Pacific were 1.3 °C (3 °F) above normal. In addition, the
Pacific Decadal Oscillation The Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) is a robust, recurring pattern of ocean-atmosphere climate variability centered over the mid-latitude Pacific basin. The PDO is detected as warm or cool surface waters in the Pacific Ocean, north of 20°N. O ...
(PDO) was in a warm phase during this time period. Three tropical cyclones made landfall in 1986. The first,
Hurricane Newton The name Newton has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. * Tropical Storm Newton (1980) – short-lived storm, had no impact on land * Hurricane Newton (1986) – made landfall along both the western and eastern shore ...
made
landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
near
Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Saint Luke Cape"), or simply just Cabo, is a resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As at the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 202,694 inhabitan ...
, bringing minor damage. Another storm,
Hurricane Paine The name Paine has been used for four tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific Ocean: * Hurricane Paine (1986) – Category 2, brushed the southern Baja California peninsula before hitting Sonora; its remnants contributed to severe flooding ...
brushed Cabo San Lucas, and later moved inland over
Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
. Paine caused minimal impacts at landfall, but its remnants were described as one of the worst floods in
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
history. Flooding affected 52 
counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in Oklahoma, which resulted in a total of $350 million in damage. The final storm to make landfall during the hurricane season was Hurricane Roslyn. The hurricane produced some flooding, but no serious damage. In addition, Hurricane Estelle came close enough to Hawaii to require a
hurricane watch Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local popul ...
. Two drownings were reported, and the total damage was around $2 million.


Systems


Hurricane Agatha

The 1986 Pacific hurricane season's first tropical disturbance formed from the tip of
Baja California Sur Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...
on May 20. By 0000 UTC May 22, the circulation began to tighten and become more organized, and thus the EPHC upgraded the disturbance into Tropical Depression One-E that morning. Approximately 48 hours after becoming a tropical depression, the system was upgraded into Tropical Storm Agatha, the first storm of the season. After moving southeast, the cyclone made an abrupt change in direction, turning towards the north. Agatha strengthened into a hurricane on May 25 near the coast of Mexico, reaching its peak intensity of 75 mph (115 km/h). Turning southeast, the system quickly weakened into a tropical depression, but regained tropical storm strength on May 28, only to dissipate that day. Rainfall spread around both the Atlantic and Pacific Mexican coasts, peaking at at Xicotepec de Juarez,
Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
.


Tropical Depression Two

A tropical disturbance formed on May 30 in the eastern
Gulf of Tehuantepec Gulf of Tehuantepec () is a large body of water on the Pacific coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, southeastern Mexico, at . Many (but not all) Pacific hurricanes form in or near this body of water. A strong, gale-force wind called the Tehuan ...
. The disturbance was moving very slowly when it was upgraded to Tropical Depression Two-E on May 31. The depression began to weaken six hours later and the final advisory by the EPHC was released on June 1. Most of Mexico received rainfall, with over falling on
Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...
. The worst rain occurred in Central Mexico, where over of precipitation fell, peaking at in
Tenosique, Tabasco Tenosique is a town located in Tenosique Municipality in the southeastern corner of the state of Tabasco, in Mexico. Its official name is Tenosique de Pino Suárez. The town had a 2020 census population of 34,946 inhabitants (the fourth-largest c ...
. The rest of the country was hit by of rainfall.


Tropical Storm Blas

A tropical disturbance originated from the
Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal e ...
(ITCZ) on June 16. The disturbance moved west-northwest at below a weak upper-level high, becoming the third tropical depression of the 1986 season on June 17. The depression intensified into Tropical Storm Blas the next day. It kept that strength for only six hours, weakening into a depression again as it moved into cooler waters. After Blas's convection dissipated, the EPHC ceased advisories on June 19 while situated roughly south of
Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Saint Luke Cape"), or simply just Cabo, is a resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As at the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 202,694 inhabitan ...
.


Hurricane Celia

On June 24, five days after Tropical Storm Blas dissipated, a tropical disturbance developed south of the
Gulf of Tehuantepec Gulf of Tehuantepec () is a large body of water on the Pacific coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, southeastern Mexico, at . Many (but not all) Pacific hurricanes form in or near this body of water. A strong, gale-force wind called the Tehuan ...
. Later that day, its circulation had become well-defined enough for the EPHC to upgrade the disturbance into Tropical Depression Four. Winds reached 40 mph (65 km/h), enough to upgrade the system into Tropical Storm Celia on June 26. While located off the coast of Mexico, Celia strengthened into a hurricane at 1800 UTC June 27. An
eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...
became evident on
satellite imagery Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell ima ...
and the hurricane reached its peak intensity of 90 mph (145 km/h) on June 28 at 1600 UTC as it tracked near Socorro Island. Meanwhile, Celia moved into much cooler water, which resulted in rapid weakening. On June 30, Celia was downgraded into a tropical depression. The EPHC released its final advisory at 1800 UTC that day as the system had dissipated.


Tropical Storm Darby

The fifth tropical cyclone of the season originated from a tropical disturbance that was first noticed on July 2. Moving northwest at about , the disturbance entered warmer waters and began to develop rapidly. The disturbance was upgraded into Tropical Depression Five at 1800 UTC July 3. Turning west-northwest, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Darby on July 5. Darby peaked at 40 mph (65 km/h), and after turning northwest, encountered waters. The storm began to weaken as thunderstorm activity became displaced from the center and spread northward over
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
on July 6. The cyclone dissipated on July 7.


Hurricane Estelle

During the afternoon of July 16, a tropical depression formed thousands of miles west of Mexico, and within 12 hours it strengthened into a tropical storm. On July 18, Estelle intensified into a hurricane. Located in a favorable environment, Estelle continued strengthening to become the first major hurricane of the season on July 20. The hurricane entered the Central Pacific Hurricane Center's area of responsibility near its peak strength of 130 mph (215 km/h), a Category 4 hurricane. The hurricane veered to the west and passed south of Hawaii. Estelle weakened to a tropical storm on July 23, and on July 25, it weakened to a depression. The storm dissipated two days later. In advance of Hurricane Estelle, the National Weather Service issued a
hurricane watch Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local popul ...
and high-surf advisory for the
Island of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of th ...
. More than 200 people evacuated from their homes. Huge waves crashed on the shores of the Big Island on the afternoon of July 22. The high waves washed away five beachfront homes and severely damaged dozens of others on the beach resort of Vacation Land. The total damage was around $2 million. However, only two deaths reported from the storm, both of whom drowned offshore
Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...
.


Hurricane Frank

The EPHC began monitoring a tropical disturbance located southwest of
San Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
on 1800 UTC July 23. About 24 hours later, the disturbance was upgraded into a tropical depression. Initially moving towards the west-northwest due to an
upper-level low A cold-core low, also known as an upper level low or cold-core cyclone, is a cyclone aloft which has an associated cold pool of air residing at high altitude within the Earth's troposphere, without a frontal structure. It is a low pressure syste ...
and a
ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
over Mexico, the storm then turned to the west as the upper-level low changed direction. By July 28, the depression was upgraded into Tropical Storm Frank. After turning back to the west-northwest, Frank reached hurricane intensity early on July 30. The storm quickly developed a well-defined
eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...
and three hours later, Hurricane Frank reached its peak intensity as a moderate Category 1 hurricane, with winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). Hurricane Frank maintained this intensity for 18 hours. Subsequently, the hurricane began to rapidly weaken over sea surface temperatures. Wind shear soon increased, thus accelerating the weakening process. On July 31, Frank was reduced to tropical storm intensity. Not long after weakening into a depression, the storm entered the CPHC's area of responsibility. Wind shear increased further, and upon entering the region, Frank moved over slightly cooler water. It transitioned into an
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of ...
on August 3.


Tropical Storm Georgette

On August 3, a tropical depression developed in the open ocean over west of the Mexican coastline. Twelve hours later, it strengthened into Tropical Storm Georgette before weakening to a depression on August 4. It then accelerated to a very rapid speed of 23–45 mph (37–75 km/h). Due to its fast speed, Georgette could not maintain a closed circulation, and thus degenerated into a non-cyclonic disturbance on August 4. The disturbance kept up its rapid forward motion, crossed the dateline and entered the western Pacific, where it reformed and reached its peak intensity as Severe Tropical Storm Georgette. By August 16, Georgette merged with another system.


Tropical Storm Howard

A tropical wave crossed Southwestern Mexico and
Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
in mid-August. A tropical disturbance developed from this wave south of
Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...
on August 15, the same day that the system moved offshore. Moving west-northwest south of an upper-level high, the system was classified as a tropical depression the next day about south of Manzanillo. Several hours later, the depression reached tropical storm intensity. Turning towards the northwest due to a
trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...
, it failed to intensify beyond minimal tropical storm strength. Passing south of the Baja California Peninsula, the storm rapidly moved over cooler waters. Howard weakened into a tropical depression at 0600 UTC August 18. Transversing water, Howard dissipated. Rainfall along the southern coast reached in some places, with totals in excess of in isolated locations. Further north, rainfall was more scattered. The maximum rainfall was in Reforma, near the southern part of the country.


Tropical Storm Isis

A tropical disturbance developed south of Socorro Island at 1800 UTC August 18. Twenty-four hours later the disturbance was upgraded into a tropical depression on August 19. The depression intensified into Tropical Storm Isis the next day. After peaking as a moderate tropical storm at 1200 UTC August 23, Isis weakened into a depression over waters early on August 24. While located some west of the Mexican coast, the tropical cyclone dissipated later that day.


Hurricane Javier

On August 19, a tropical disturbance formed south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec and south of
Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Saint Luke Cape"), or simply just Cabo, is a resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As at the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 202,694 inhabitan ...
.
Satellite imagery Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell ima ...
began to show signs of developing a circulation, and the disturbance became a tropical depression on August 20 and intensified into Tropical Storm Javier hours later. Southwest of a
ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
, Javier began to turn towards the west-northwest. Despite an increase in forward speed, Tropical Storm Javier underwent rapid intensification, reaching hurricane intensity at 0900 UTC August 21. About three hours later, Javier reached Category 2 strength, and briefly became a major hurricane on August 22, only to rapidly weaken back to a Category 1 hurricane late on August 23. Hurricane Javier sharply turned towards the north and eventually towards the northwest. Early on August 24, Javier resumed intensification, regaining Category 3 intensity at 0600 UTC. Passing midway between Socorro Island and
Clarion Island Isla Clarión, formerly called Santa Rosa, is the second largest, westernmost and most remote of Mexico's Revillagigedo Islands. The island is located west of Socorro Island and over from the Mexican mainland. It has an area of and three pr ...
, the storm reached its peak intensity of 130 mph (210 km/h). Moving beneath the ridge, Hurricane Javier turned to the west and subsequently weakened back into a Category 3 hurricane. After briefly re-intensifying into a Category 4, the storm resumed weakening due to increasing wind shear, and by late on August 25, Hurricane Javier had weakened directly into a Category 2 hurricane. Shortly thereafter, Javier was downgraded into a Category 1 hurricane. While it managed to maintain marginal hurricane intensity for 24 hours. on 1200 UTC August 28, the EPHC announced that Javier had weakened back into a tropical storm. Shortly after that, Javier turned towards the west-northwest due an upper-level trough. Now over waters, the system continued to weaken as wind shear increased further. On August 30, Javier weakened into a depression and dissipated the next day over southwest of
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
. Waves were 15 ft (4.6 m) high in some areas, prompting
meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...
s to issue a high surf advisory. Hurricane Javier brought the highest waves of the summer to southern California.


Tropical Storm Kay

In late August, a tropical disturbance formed east-southeast of Hurricane Javier and nearly south of the Baja California Peninsula. Moving slowly west, the disturbance began to develop a well-defined circulation, and was respectively upgraded into a tropical depression on August 28. Passing 10 mi (20 km) south of Clarion Island, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Kay. The cyclone's forward speed increased; subsequently, Kay reached its peak intensity. After maintaining its intensity for 18 hours, Kay rapidly weakened over cold water, and was downgraded into a depression at 0000 UTC September 2. Kay dissipated the next day several hundred miles west of the Baja California Peninsula.


Tropical Storm Lester

A westward-moving tropical wave increased in thunderstorm activity, soon organizing into a tropical depression on September 13. At the time of the upgrade, Lester was located more than west of the Mexican coast. Moving towards the west, the depression soon intensified into Tropical Storm Lester. After turning towards the west-northwest, Lester peaked in intensity as a moderate tropical storm. Due to a combination of strong
wind shear Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizontal ...
and cold water, Lester began a slow weakening trend. While entering the CPHC's area of responsibility at 1800 UTC September 17, Lester had already weakened to a tropical depression. Unable to maintain a closed circulation, the final advisory was issued.


Tropical Storm Madeline

A tropical disturbance first developed during September 13 and September 14 over the warm waters south of Acapulco. On September 15, the EPHC first classified the system as a tropical depression. Rapidly moving towards the west, the depression was embedded in deep easterly flow. The system attained tropical storm intensity on 1800 UTC September 16, thus received the name Madeline. After turning towards the west-northwest, Tropical Storm Madeline accelerated. It began a slow intensification trend, and peaked as a high-end tropical storm on 0600 UTC September 18. An upper-level low introduced strong wind shear, and Madeline began to fall apart almost immediately thereafter. After turning towards the north, and slowing down, Madeline dissipated on September 22.


Hurricane Newton

A tropical disturbance became a tropical depression on September 18. Intensification was slow as the depression did not reach storm status until September 20. Paralleling the coast, Newton steadily intensified. Newton strengthened into a hurricane on September 21. On September 22, Newton slammed into
Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Saint Luke Cape"), or simply just Cabo, is a resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As at the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 202,694 inhabitan ...
, and after entering the
Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...
, Hurricane Newton attained its peak intensity 85 mph (140 km/h). Shortly after that, Newton moved inland into the mainland of Mexico. Over land, Newton dissipated on September 23. Upon making landfall on the Baja California Peninsula, moderate rainfall was recorded. After the hurricane's second landfall, damage was also minor, though 40 roofs were ripped off of homes; trees and utility poles were also downed due to high winds. However, no injuries or fatalities were reported in association with Newton. Newton's remnants later combined with a cold front to produce heavy rainfall that downed power lines in
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
, leaving 20,000 customers without power.


Hurricane Orlene

Hurricane Orlene originated from a stationary tropical disturbance that was upgraded into a tropical depression on September 21. Despite a poorly defined circulation, the cyclone intensified into Tropical Storm Orlene 12 hours after formation. Steadily gaining strength, Orlene reached hurricane intensity on September 22. Shortly thereafter, the hurricane entered the CPHC's area of responsibility. Upon the formation of an eye, Orlene reached its peak intensity of 80 mph (130 km/h). After maintaining peak intensity for 24 hours, Hurricane Orlene began to encounter strong wind shear. Subsequently, Orlene weakened rapidly and lost hurricane status at 1800 UTC September 23. The system weakened into a tropical depression on September 24. Tropical Depression Orlene dissipated the next day.


Hurricane Paine

A tropical disturbance developed on September 27 within of the Mexican coastline. The disturbance was upgraded into Tropical Depression Twenty-Three on 0000 UTC September 28. Tropical Depression Twenty-Three moved west-northwestward, lured poleward by an upper-level trough near northern Mexico. At 0000 UTC September 30, the depression became Tropical Storm Paine, southwest of Acapulco. Roughly 21 hours later, a NOAA Hurricane Hunter flight found winds of 90 mph (145 km/h), upgrading Paine into hurricane. The hurricane peaked as a Category 2 hurricane on October 1 as it turned northwest, headed towards the
Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...
. Hurricane Paine did not intensify further due to the presence of mid-level
wind shear Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizontal ...
and dry air. The outer
eyewall The eye is a region of mostly calm weather at the center of tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area, typically in diameter. It is surrounded by the ''eyewall'', a ring of towering thunderstorms where the most severe weat ...
moved across
Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Saint Luke Cape"), or simply just Cabo, is a resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As at the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 202,694 inhabitan ...
, and the resultant land interaction was believed to have slightly weakened the inner core of the hurricane. Paine moved ashore near San José,
Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
with winds of 100 mph (160 km/h). The storm weakened as it moved over land going through Mexico and then entering the United States. Paine dissipated on October 4 over
Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...
. Rainfall from the tropical cyclone was significant in Mexico and the United States. Light rain fell in Cabo San Lucas. Meanwhile, rains around the Mexican Mainland peaked at 12 in (300 mm) in Acapulco. Near the area around where it made landfall, strong winds knocked down trees and caused disruptions to city services. In the United States, rainfall peaked at in
Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The city is located south of Kansas City on the Marmaton ...
. The
Barnsdall, Oklahoma {{Infobox settlement , official_name = Barnsdall, Oklahoma , settlement_type = City , nickname = Bigheart , motto = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_se ...
weather station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...
recorded 10.42 inches (26.5 cm) on September 29, which set a record for the highest daily precipitation for any station statewide. The flooding affected 52 counties in Oklahoma, which resulted in a total of $350 million in damage. In all, Paine was described as one of the worst floods in Oklahoma history. Flooding from Paine resulted in about 1,200 people homeless in
East Saint Louis, Illinois East St. Louis is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois. It is directly across the Mississippi River from Downtown St. Louis, Missouri and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. Once a bu ...
and resulted in record discharge rates along many streams and creeks. Subsequently, many reservoirs were nearly filled to its capacity. For example, the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
in
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
reached the fifth highest
flood stage Flood stage is the water level or stage at which the surface of a body of water has risen to a sufficient level to cause sufficient inundation of areas that are not normally covered by water, causing an inconvenience or a threat to life and property ...
on record.


Hurricane Roslyn

A tropical disturbance moved westward offshore
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
and was declared Tropical Depression Twenty-Four on October 15.. During the early afternoon of the next day, ship reports indicated the formation of a tropical depression close to land. The cyclone moved at a quick pace towards the west-northwest south of a warm-core ridge. Early on the morning on October 16, Roslyn became a tropical storm. By the morning of the October 17, Roslyn had developed into a hurricane south of
Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...
. A vigorous upper trough was deepening offshore
Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
, and Roslyn began to re-curve within a few hundred miles of Manzanillo. The system struck
Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding ''municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of ...
as a marginal hurricane on October 20. The low-level center rapidly dissipated, although a frontal low developed in the western
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
, which moved over southeastern
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and later through the
Mississippi Valley The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...
. The original upper-level circulation maintained its northeast movement, bringing rainfall to the
Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...
. Affecting a sparsely-populated area, the highest reported winds from a land station were . Roslyn produced some flooding, but no serious damage. Impact was limited to flooded homes and factories, as well as some crop damage and
beach erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...
and only one yacht sunk. The remnants of Hurricane Roslyn produced heavy rainfall across the central and southern United States. In
Matagorda, Texas Matagorda () is a census-designated place in Matagorda County, Texas. It is located near the mouth of the Colorado River on the upper Texas coast in the United States. In 2020, its population was 313. Matagorda is primarily a tourist town, with c ...
, a total of was reported.


Other systems

In addition to the 17 named storms, there were eight tropical depressions during the season that failed to reach tropical storm strength. The second, Tropical Depression Seven, began as a large area of thunderstorms near Hurricane Estelle on July 17. Moving at a steady pace, the cyclone failed to intensify and attained peak intensity of . Cool
sea surface temperatures Sea surface temperature (SST), or ocean surface temperature, is the ocean temperature close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masse ...
and its proximity to Hurricane Estelle eventually caused the depression to dissipate late on July 18. Tropical Depression Eight formed on July 21 while located southwest of the Baja California Peninsula. Initially moving west-northwest around an upper-level high, the depression peaked with winds of . It dissipated on July 24. Another
tropical disturbance Tropical cyclones are ranked on one of five tropical cyclone intensity scales, according to their maximum sustained winds and which tropical cyclone basins they are located in. Only a few scales of classifications are used officially by the mete ...
formed on July 24. A circulation developed two days later, and thus it was classified as Tropical Depression Ten. The cyclone remained a tropical depression for about three days before moving into the CPHC's area of responsibility on 1000 UTC July 27. A slow weakening trend began as the depression continued to move west at speeds of . By 1800 UTC on July 29, it had become poorly organized around west-southwest of the Hawaiian Islands, and the final advisory was issued. Tropical Depression One-C formed on July 27, possibly from the remnants of Tropical Depression Eight that dissipated a few days earlier well to the east of 140 °W. The depression tracked westward at a fairly rapid forward speed of ; however, it failed to develop past the depression stage. One-C passed well south of the Hawaiian Islands on July 28. On July 29 at 0000 UTC, it had dissipated to the southwest of the Hawaiian Islands and the final advisory was issued by the CPHC. An area of disturbed weather developed a circulation on August 12 and was upgraded into Tropical Depression Twelve nearly south of the Baja California Peninsula. It drifted slowly to the northwest until it dissipated near 22 °N 110 °W on August 14. Peak maximum sustained winds were estimated at . Tropical Depression Seventeen formed on September 8, east of
Socorro Island Socorro Island ( es, Isla Socorro) is a small volcanic island in the Revillagigedo Islands, a Mexican possession lying off the country's western coast. The size is 16.5 by 11.5 km (10.25 by 7.15 miles), with an area of . It is the largest ...
and dissipated on September 9 over cold water without becoming a
tropical storm A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
. One of the last cyclones of the season formed from a westward-moving tropical disturbance in the ITCZ. The disturbance moved at about and upon developing a circulation, was declared Tropical Depression Twenty-One at 0600 UTC September 19. However the depression lasted for only six hours before dissipating, likely due to the close distance between it and Tropical Storm Madeline. Tropical Depression Twenty-Five was the final tropical depression of the 1986 season. It formed on October 22 at 1800 UTC near the 140°W line. Due to strong wind shear, the stationary storm had dissipated within 30 hours of formation. Even though no more official systems developed, a forecaster at the
National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...
remarked that an unnamed tropical storm may have formed in November.


Storm names

The following names were used for named storms that formed in the eastern Pacific in 1986. No names were retired, so it was used again in the
1992 season Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...
. This is the same list used for the 1980 season. A storm was named Paine for the first time in 1986, while Orlene and Roslyn were previously used on the old four-year lists. No central Pacific names were used; the first name used would have been Oka. Names that were not assigned are marked in gray.


See also

*
List of Pacific hurricanes This is a list of notable Pacific hurricanes, subdivided by reason for notability. Notability means that it has met some criterion or achieved some statistic, or is part of a top ten for some superlative. It includes lists and rankings of Pacific ...
*
Pacific hurricane season A Pacific hurricane is a mature tropical cyclone that develops within the northeastern and central Pacific Ocean to the east of 180°W, north of the equator. For tropical cyclone warning purposes, the northern Pacific is divided into three regio ...
*
1986 Atlantic hurricane season The 1986 Atlantic hurricane season was a very inactive season that produced 10 depressions, 6 named storms, 4 hurricanes, and no major hurricanes. The season officially began on June 1, 1986, and lasted until November 30, 1986. These ...
*
1986 Pacific typhoon season The 1986 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1986, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year whe ...
* 1986 North Indian Ocean cyclone season * Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons: 1985–86, 1986–87 * South Pacific cyclone seasons: 1985–86, 1986–87


Notes


References


External links


Unisys Weather archive for the Eastern Pacific, 1986

Central Pacific Hurricane Center archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:1986 Pacific Hurricane Season Pacific hurricane seasons 1986 ATL