Hurricane Charley
Aug 13, 1986 to Aug 30, 1986Peak 81 mph980 mb
Hurricane Charley passed within 50 miles of 35 counties in 4 states. It was strongest near Virginia Beach city, VA, as a Category 1 on August 18, 1986.
- Major hurricane
- Hurricane
- Tropical storm
- Post-tropical
Hurricane Charley · 1986
How it happened
Follow the storm’s path, strength and milestones.
The storm
- Peak strength
- Category 1
- 81 mph, 70 kt
- Lowest pressure
- 980 mb
- Over the whole track
- Counties within 50 miles
- 35
- DE, MD, NC, VA
- Counties within 100 miles
- 92
- DE, MA, MD, NC, NJ, SC, VA
- Landfalls recorded
- 1
- Anywhere on the track
Every county it passed
Closest approach to each county boundary, with the storm’s strength at that moment.
| Tyrrell County | NC | 0.0 | Category 1 |
| Carteret County | NC | 0.0 | Category 1 |
| Hyde County | NC | 0.0 | Category 1 |
| Currituck County | NC | 1.4 | Category 1 |
| Camden County | NC | 2.5 | Category 1 |
| Dare County | NC | 3.0 | Category 1 |
| Virginia Beach city | VA | 5.1 | Category 1 |
| Pasquotank County | NC | 7.1 | Category 1 |
| Pamlico County | NC | 11.1 | Category 1 |
| Craven County | NC | 13.6 | Category 1 |
| Perquimans County | NC | 14.5 | Category 1 |
| Washington County | NC | 17.2 | Category 1 |
| Chesapeake city | VA | 18.2 | Category 1 |
| Beaufort County | NC | 18.7 | Category 1 |
| Northampton County | VA | 23.6 | Category 1 |
| Chowan County | NC | 24.2 | Category 1 |
| Accomack County | VA | 24.9 | Category 1 |
| Norfolk city | VA | 29.9 | Category 1 |
| Onslow County | NC | 32.5 | Category 1 |
| Jones County | NC | 32.5 | Category 1 |
| Gates County | NC | 32.9 | Category 1 |
| Worcester County | MD | 33.4 | Tropical storm |
| Portsmouth city | VA | 34.2 | Category 1 |
| Bertie County | NC | 37.0 | Category 1 |
| Suffolk city | VA | 38.3 | Category 1 |
| Martin County | NC | 39.5 | Category 1 |
| Hampton city | VA | 40.5 | Category 1 |
| Hertford County | NC | 43.6 | Category 1 |
| Poquoson city | VA | 44.0 | Category 1 |
| Newport News city | VA | 44.7 | Category 1 |
| Somerset County | MD | 45.4 | Category 1 |
| Sussex County | DE | 47.8 | Tropical storm |
| Isle of Wight County | VA | 47.9 | Category 1 |
| York County | VA | 48.6 | Category 1 |
| Mathews County | VA | 49.5 | Category 1 |
| Pender County | NC | 50.4 | Tropical storm |
| Pitt County | NC | 50.9 | Category 1 |
| Wicomico County | MD | 51.6 | Tropical storm |
| Gloucester County | VA | 52.1 | Category 1 |
| New Hanover County | NC | 57.5 | Tropical storm |
| Middlesex County | VA | 58.6 | Category 1 |
| Lancaster County | VA | 59.4 | Category 1 |
| James City County | VA | 60.2 | Category 1 |
| Southampton County | VA | 60.4 | Category 1 |
| Brunswick County | NC | 61.0 | Tropical storm |
| Surry County | VA | 62.0 | Category 1 |
| Lenoir County | NC | 62.3 | Category 1 |
| Franklin city | VA | 62.3 | Category 1 |
| Northumberland County | VA | 62.9 | Category 1 |
| Duplin County | NC | 65.3 | Category 1 |
| Cape May County | NJ | 65.7 | Tropical storm |
| Williamsburg city | VA | 66.5 | Category 1 |
| Northampton County | NC | 67.6 | Category 1 |
| Greene County | NC | 68.6 | Category 1 |
| Dorchester County | MD | 68.8 | Category 1 |
| Halifax County | NC | 69.2 | Category 1 |
| Edgecombe County | NC | 70.2 | Category 1 |
| Sussex County | VA | 70.9 | Category 1 |
| King and Queen County | VA | 72.9 | Category 1 |
| Nantucket County | MA | 73.2 | Tropical storm |
| St. Mary's County | MD | 75.5 | Category 1 |
| Atlantic County | NJ | 75.7 | Tropical storm |
| New Kent County | VA | 77.1 | Category 1 |
| Charles City County | VA | 77.2 | Category 1 |
| Richmond County | VA | 77.7 | Category 1 |
| Ocean County | NJ | 80.5 | Tropical storm |
| Cumberland County | NJ | 80.6 | Tropical storm |
| Greensville County | VA | 81.0 | Category 1 |
| King William County | VA | 81.1 | Category 1 |
| Caroline County | MD | 81.4 | Tropical storm |
| Prince George County | VA | 81.5 | Category 1 |
| Wayne County | NC | 82.4 | Category 1 |
| Kent County | DE | 82.4 | Tropical storm |
| Columbus County | NC | 83.2 | Tropical storm |
| Essex County | VA | 83.9 | Category 1 |
| Wilson County | NC | 84.2 | Category 1 |
| Westmoreland County | VA | 84.9 | Category 1 |
| Bladen County | NC | 86.4 | Tropical storm |
| Burlington County | NJ | 86.8 | Tropical storm |
| Sampson County | NC | 88.3 | Category 1 |
| Talbot County | MD | 89.7 | Tropical storm |
| Dukes County | MA | 90.7 | Tropical storm |
| Barnstable County | MA | 91.8 | Tropical storm |
| Calvert County | MD | 92.0 | Category 1 |
| Horry County | SC | 93.1 | Tropical storm |
| Emporia city | VA | 94.7 | Category 1 |
| Dinwiddie County | VA | 94.8 | Category 1 |
| Nash County | NC | 95.1 | Category 1 |
| Hopewell city | VA | 96.5 | Category 1 |
| Petersburg city | VA | 97.3 | Category 1 |
| Henrico County | VA | 97.8 | Category 1 |
| Chesterfield County | VA | 98.6 | Category 1 |
Distances are measured from hourly positions interpolated between the National Hurricane Center’s six-hourly fixes to each county boundary. Strength is shown only where the storm was still tropical. Methodology.
National Hurricane Center HURDAT2. Storm totals cover the Atlantic and Northeast and Central Pacific basins.