Hurricane Paine (1986)

Hurricane Paine
Meteorological history
FormedSeptember 28, 1986
DissipatedOctober 2, 1986
Category 2 hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds100 mph (155 km/h)
Overall effects
Fatalities10
Damage$350 million
Areas affectedMexico, inland United States
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Part of the 1986 Pacific hurricane season

Hurricane Paine was the sixteenth tropical storm and eighth hurricane of the fairly active 1986 Pacific hurricane season; moisture from the system contributed to one of the most significant flooding events in Oklahoma history. Paine formed on September 28 off the southeast coast of Mexico. It moved around a ridge, later turning to the north and brushing the Baja California Peninsula. By that time, Paine had attained peak winds of 100 mph (160 km/h), but it weakened slightly before hitting the Mexican state of Sonora. The remnant moisture combined with a cold front to produce heavy rainfall in the South Central United States.

In Mexico, Paine produced rainfall along much of the coastline, with maxima in inland Oaxaca, Jalisco, and Sonora where it moved ashore. Prior to the arrival of the remnants of Paine in the United States, there was an extended period of heavy rainfall, which caused at least 10 deaths, forced thousands of people from their homes, and resulted in heavy flooding damage. The moisture from Paine produced the highest daily rainfall for any station in Oklahoma. Severe river flooding occurred along the Osage and Arkansas Rivers. The overall flooding event caused $350 million in damage, of which half came from crop losses.