Hurricane Bonnie (1986)
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Hurricane Bonnie at peak intensity off the coast of Texas on June 26
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| Formed | June 23, 1986 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | June 28, 1986 |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 85 mph (140 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 992 mbar (hPa); 29.29 inHg |
| Fatalities | 4 direct, 1 indirect |
| Damage | $42 million (1986 USD) |
| Areas affected | Texas, Louisiana, Southeastern United States |
| Part of the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Bonnie caused moderate damage along the Gulf Coast of the United States in late June 1986. The second named storm and first hurricane of the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season, Bonnie developed out of an area of low pressure over the central Gulf of Mexico on June 23. The system gradually intensified and was declared Tropical Storm Bonnie the next day as it moved generally towards the west-northwest. On June 25, Bonnie was upgraded to a hurricane. Bonnie strengthened further and on the following day, the storm attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). Shortly thereafter, Bonnie made landfall near High Island, Texas. Following landfall, Bonnie quickly weakened below tropical storm status and dissipated over Missouri on June 28.
Prior to Bonnie moving ashore, 22,000 people were evacuated in Texas and Louisiana. Upon making landfall, Bonnie produced a storm surge peaking at 5.2 feet (1.5 m) at Sabine Pass. Rainfall from the storm peaked at 13 inches (330 mm) in Ace, Texas, which caused some street flooding and destroyed a small dam in Liberty County, Texas. Three fatalities were reported in the Port Arthur, Texas area; two deaths were from separate car accidents and another occurred after a partially paralyzed woman died in a house fire. Flooding also impacted northwestern Louisiana. In the Shreveport area alone, 381 homes, 20 businesses, and 80 major highway intersections were flooded. The hurricane also spawned 11 tornadoes, destroying about 25 houses in southwestern Louisiana. Overall, Hurricane Bonnie caused $42 million (1986 USD) in damage and five fatalities.
In mid-June, a mid-level center of circulation formed in association with a quasi-stationary cold front that stretched across northern Florida and the extreme northeast Gulf of Mexico. On June 20, a weak and disorganized area of low pressure developed in conjunction with the front and it passed by Tampa Bay, Florida the following day. Upon moving into the eastern Gulf of Mexico, there was little convection on observed on satellite imagery, although a distinguishable wind-shift was noted by an offshore buoy. However, by June 23, the presence of deep convection atop a circulation had become well-defined enough for the National Hurricane Center to classify the disturbance as a tropical depression, while centered 330 mi (535 km) southwest of Cape Coral, Florida. Moving generally west to west-northwestward across the central Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center sent a reconnaissance plane into the tropical depression at 1500 UTC on June 24, at which time winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) were found. About three hours later, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Bonnie.
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