PANCHO
1985-86 season · AU198586_03U
History
Severe Tropical Cyclone Pancho developed over the eastern Indian Ocean during the 1985–86 Australian region cyclone season, organising into a named tropical cyclone on 18 January 1986. The system intensified to reach Category 3 status on the Australian scale on 20 January, with an estimated minimum central pressure of 976 hPa and one-minute sustained winds of approximately 120 km/h. Pancho tracked entirely over open ocean waters off the Western Australian coast throughout its brief existence, never approaching land. The system weakened rapidly after reaching peak intensity and had fully dissipated by 21–22 January 1986, giving it a lifespan of only around four days.
Pancho's lifecycle coincided directly with that of Cyclone Hector, which was simultaneously making landfall and causing significant flooding in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Because Pancho remained confined to remote ocean areas for its entire duration, it produced no damage to infrastructure or property and caused no casualties on land. Maritime warnings were issued as a precaution for regional shipping lanes, but no vessel incidents were recorded. The cyclone is notable primarily as an offshore event that posed no threat to coastal communities during an otherwise active and destructive season for the Australian region.
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia
View full track data (17 observations)
| Date/Time (UTC) | Category | Position | Pressure | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-01-18 00:00:00 | 1 | -14.4, 107.7 | 1002 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1986-01-18 06:00:00 | 1 | -13.9, 108.4 | 1002 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1986-01-18 12:00:00 | 1 | -13.8, 108.9 | 999 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1986-01-18 18:00:00 | 1 | -13.7, 109.5 | 998 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1986-01-19 00:00:00 | 1 | -13.9, 110.4 | 995 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1986-01-19 06:00:00 | 1 | -14.0, 111.2 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1986-01-19 12:00:00 | 1 | -14.1, 111.9 | 984 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1986-01-19 18:00:00 | 1 | -14.0, 113.0 | 978 hPa | 28 km/h |
| 1986-01-20 00:00:00 | 1 | -13.7, 114.2 | 976 hPa | 28 km/h |
| 1986-01-20 06:00:00 | 1 | -14.4, 114.6 | 978 hPa | 28 km/h |
| 1986-01-20 12:00:00 | 1 | -14.8, 114.3 | 980 hPa | 28 km/h |
| 1986-01-20 18:00:00 | 1 | -14.9, 113.8 | 980 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1986-01-21 00:00:00 | 1 | -14.2, 114.0 | 980 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1986-01-21 06:00:00 | 1 | -14.5, 114.1 | 984 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1986-01-21 12:00:00 | 1 | -16.2, 112.6 | 992 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1986-01-21 18:00:00 | 1 | -17.7, 111.7 | 1002 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1986-01-21 21:00:00 | 1 | -18.5, 111.3 | 1004 hPa | 13 km/h |