Hurricane Charley was the costliest tropical cyclone of the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season. The third tropical storm and second hurricane of the season, Charley formed as a subtropical low on August 13 along the Florida panhandle. It became a tropical storm on August 15 off the coast of South Carolina, then as a hurricane traversed eastern North Carolina. It weakened over the north Atlantic Ocean before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone on August 20. Its remnants remained identifiable until crossing the British Isles and dissipating on August 30. In the U.S. Hurricane Charley caused an estimated $15 million in damage (equivalent to $32.4 million in 2016). As an extratropical cyclone, Charley brought heavy rainfall and strong winds to Ireland and the United Kingdom, causing at least 11 deaths. Ireland saw a record for the greatest daily rainfall total in the country, 7.8 inches (200 mm). In the Dublin area, 451 buildings were flooded, some up to a depth of 8 ft (2.4 m). In the United Kingdom, the storm flooded rivers and brought down trees and power lines. (Full article...)