Storm history › Atlantic › 1986 season
Hurricane Charley (1986)
Charley was a Category 1 hurricane of the 1986 Atlantic season. It was tracked from August 13, 1986 to August 30, 1986, about 17 days, and covered 5,307 miles.
At its peak it had winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) and a lowest pressure of 980 mb.
It made landfall once, near Morehead City, United States.
Its closest pass to a major city was 17 miles from Sheffield, United Kingdom.
- Peak wind
- 80 mph
- Lowest pressure
- 980 mb
- Strongest
- Category 1 hurricane
- Landfalls
- 1
- Duration
- 17 days
- Track length
- 5,307 mi
- Energy (ACE)
- 5.6
DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5
Landfalls
| # | Date (UTC) | Near | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 17, 1986 | Morehead City, United States | 75 mph (120 km/h) |
Closest pass to major cities
| City | Closest pass |
|---|---|
| Sheffield, United Kingdom | 17 mi (28 km) |
| Virginia Beach, United States | 20 mi (32 km) |
| Birmingham, United Kingdom | 28 mi (45 km) |
| Manchester, United Kingdom | 39 mi (63 km) |
| Leeds, United Kingdom | 44 mi (70 km) |
| Liverpool, United Kingdom | 49 mi (79 km) |
| Bristol, United Kingdom | 80 mi (128 km) |
How it compares
- Peak winds: 767th highest of 2,017 Atlantic storms on record, tied with Tropical Storm Dexter (2025), Hurricane Debby (2024), Hurricane Pablo (2019) and 40 more.
- Lowest pressure: 519th lowest of 1,294 Atlantic storms with a recorded pressure, tied with Hurricane Nicole (2022), Tropical Storm Karl (2016), Hurricane Kate (2015) and 14 more.
- Energy: 16% of the 1986 Atlantic season's ACE.