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Hurricane Bonnie (1986)

Hurricane Bonnie was a Category 1 hurricane at its peak, with 86 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 990 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 6 of the cities we track; the strongest was Beaumont, TX, with a modeled peak gust of 69 mph.

Peak strength86 mph winds (1-minute)
Category 1
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track
6
LandfallsFirst June 26, 1986
1
Lowest pressure
990 mb

Track, wind field and cities

Select a piece of the track or a city for details.

  • Depression or weaker
  • Tropical storm
  • Hurricane, Category 1 or 2
  • Major hurricane, Category 3 to 5
  • Landfall
  • City (larger ring, stronger modeled gust)
  • Modeled wind field, 39 to 111 mph sustained (darker, stronger; orange 111 mph+)
Source: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center best track (HURDAT2). City winds and the wind field are modeled.

The shaded areas are where our model puts Hurricane Bonnie’s sustained winds over open land at 39 mph or more (tropical-storm force), 58, 74 (hurricane force) and 111 mph (major hurricane force) at some point along its track. Modeled, not measured. How we model hurricane winds

Landfalls

  1. June 26, 1986, Category 1 at 86 mph, about 34 miles from Beaumont, TX

Modeled winds at cities (6)

Estimated peak winds for open, flat ground at each city’s center. Not measurements. How we model hurricane winds

CityPeak gustSustainedClosest passPeak
Beaumont, TX69 mph56 mph13 milesJun 26, 1986, 6:45 AM CDT
Lake Charles, LA59 mph48 mph68 milesJun 26, 1986, 7:00 AM CDT
Pasadena, TX55 mph45 mph54 milesJun 26, 1986, 7:00 AM CDT
League City, TX54 mph44 mph55 milesJun 26, 1986, 7:00 AM CDT
Houston, TX50 mph41 mph64 milesJun 26, 1986, 7:00 AM CDT
Pearland, TX50 mph41 mph66 milesJun 26, 1986, 7:00 AM CDT

What happened

Bonnie formed over the Gulf of Mexico on June 23, 1986, and came ashore as a Category 1 hurricane at about 5 a.m. CDT on June 26, just southwest of Sea Rim State Park near the Texas and Louisiana border.1 NHC's best track gives it sustained winds of 75 knots (86 mph) and a central pressure of 990 mb at landfall.2

Sea Rim State Park measured sustained winds of 67 knots (77 mph) and a peak gust of 85 knots (98 mph), and Port Arthur had a peak gust of 66 knots (76 mph).1 The tide at Sabine Pass rose 5.2 feet above normal.1 Ace, Texas, received 13 inches of rain, and several places in East Texas and west of Shreveport, Louisiana, topped 10 inches, flooding streets and the Sabine and Neches rivers.1 Water stood in some homes around Bridge City, Texas, for about six hours.1 NHC tied 11 tornadoes to Bonnie, four in East Texas and seven in Louisiana.1

Port Arthur had broken store windows and debris-filled streets, and about 25 homes, trailers and fishing camp cabins were destroyed in southwest Louisiana.1 NHC's report lists damage estimates of $1 million in Chambers County, Texas, $400,000 in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and $30,000 in Galveston County, Texas.1 The report counts 3 deaths and a dozen injuries.1

Sources

  1. 1. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Preliminary Report, Hurricane Bonnie, 23-28 June 1986
  2. 2. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT2), 1851 to 2023

Best track (21 positions)

TimeStatusWindPressurePosition
Jun 23, 18:00 UTCTropical depression29 mph1014 mb25.6°N, 87.2°W
Jun 24, 00:00 UTCTropical depression29 mph1013 mb25.7°N, 87.8°W
Jun 24, 06:00 UTCTropical depression29 mph1014 mb26.0°N, 88.4°W
Jun 24, 12:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1011 mb26.4°N, 88.9°W
Jun 24, 18:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph1006 mb26.6°N, 89.5°W
Jun 25, 00:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph1001 mb26.7°N, 90.3°W
Jun 25, 06:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph1002 mb26.8°N, 91.0°W
Jun 25, 12:00 UTCTropical storm63 mph997 mb27.2°N, 91.7°W
Jun 25, 18:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane75 mph1001 mb27.7°N, 92.2°W
Jun 26, 00:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane81 mph999 mb28.2°N, 92.9°W
Jun 26, 06:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane86 mph995 mb29.0°N, 93.7°W
Jun 26, 10:00 UTC (landfall)Category 1 hurricane86 mph990 mb29.6°N, 94.2°W
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