Count down the most destructive hurricanes in NC history

RALEIGH, N.C. - Hurricane season is here, and with North Carolina's long coastline many are keeping their eyes on the tropics.  

Over the years, hurricanes have left an unforgettable mark on the state. In the past 60 years, North Carolina has been rocked by several monster hurricanes that have become legendary. 

Many locals still remember spending a week in the dark after Hurricane Fran hit in 1996, while communities in western North Carolina are still rebuilding from Hurricane Helene's devastating floods years later.

From historic storms that reshaped coastlines, to communities still rebuilding after catastrophic storms, here's a look back at the eight most destructive hurricanes to ever hit the Old North State. 

In September 1989, Hurricane Hugo became the most powerful storm to strike the United States since Hurricane Camille 20 years earlier.

It crushed Charlotte with 85 mph winds and toppled an estimated 100,000 trees, including many stately oaks more than 70 years old.

Many people were without power for two weeks or more, and intense rains fell across the state, including nearly seven inches as far west as Boone.

Twenty-nine counties reported damage from Hugo. Timber losses alone topped $250 million.

Hugo was blamed for 35 deaths, including seven in North Carolina, and shattered dollar records for destruction. Its final price tag was $7.2 billion, but Hurricane Andrew’s havoc in Florida broke that national record only three years later.

The summer of 1960 brought number seven on WRAL’s list: Hurricane Donna. One of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the United States. Donna’s devastation stretched from Florida through eastern North Carolina to New England.

Wild and erratic, Donna blasted Florida from two different directions and then took aim at Topsail Island in North Carolina. Wind speeds topped 100 mph, and tides rose four to eight feet above normal.

Donna’s destructive journey covered Carteret, Pamlico, Hyde and Tyrell counties. The category 3 hurricane churned up waters in the Albemarle Sound and smacked Elizabeth City with a windy wallop before attacking Tidewater Virginia.

The Crystal Coast drew the wrath of Donna, particularly Atlantic Beach, Beaufort and Morehead City. Residents reported extensive structural damage, severe beach erosion, heavy crop losses and extensive power outages.

Government officials blamed Donna for eight deaths, more than 100 injuries and $25 million of damage in North Carolina.

Donna, though, marked the end of a destructive decade of storms and the beginning of a long stretch of peaceful summers along North Carolina’s coast.

Hurricane Matthew killed 31 people in North Carolina and caused more than $4.8 billion in damage in one of the costliest disasters the state has endured in the fall of 2016. The storm brought up to 18 inches of rain in a three-day period; setting rainfall records in 17 counties.

It made landfall near McClellanville, South Carolina as a Category 1 storm on Oct. 8. It was the first Atlantic hurricane to reach Category 5 status since Hurricane Felix in 2007.

Matthew's impact was most felt in eastern North Carolina in Cumberland, Robeson, Wayne, Johnston, Harnett, Lenoir, Nash and Edgecombe counties. Power outages left roughly one million homes without power and closed hundreds of roads. The storm surge was so severe that 20 dams were broken and over 2,300 people were saved from floodwaters by rescue teams.

Matthew hit after Tropical Storms Julia and Hermine, causing even more problems for the already saturated soil in the eastern part of the state.

All those storms, though, pale in comparison to the most destructive storm in state history, Hurricane Floyd, which brought devastating flood waters in September 1999.

Tropical Storm Dennis did Floyd’s dirty work, coming ashore 10 days earlier and saturating the soil and filling the rivers. When Floyd made landfall near Wilmington, its relentless rains had nowhere to go but into the streets, highways and houses. Rain fell for more than 60 consecutive hours in some places.

Floyd became North Carolina’s deadliest hurricane of the 20th century, claiming 57 lives. Many victims died in their cars, trying to navigate flooded roads, while others died in their homes, caught off guard by flooding.

Floyd made landfall at Cape Fear as a category 2 hurricane with 110 mph winds on September 16. The storm exceeded 500-year flood levels in many areas across eastern North Carolina including Rocky Mount, Wilson, Tarboro and Princeville. This put entire communities under water. The storm destroyed more than 8,000 homes and damaged 67,000 more.

Water pollution was rampant as floodwaters covered 4.2 million acres and caused staggering farm and livestock losses. More than 30,000 hogs drowned in the storm.

Overall damage estimates from the storm were mind boggling. The initial estimate of $1.3 billion quickly mushroomed to more than $6 billion nationwide.

The lack of flood insurance was another aspect of Hurricane Floyd's legacy. Few people had it, and many had believed their homeowners insurance would cover damage from high water.

The summer of 1996 brought one of North Carolina's most notorious hurricanes. Hurricane Fran was one of North Carolina's most destructive hurricanes. On the evening of Sept. 5, 1996, Fran made landfall over the Cape Fear area as a category 3 storm. 

Wind speeds were 115 mph and the storm surge caused flooding as high as 13 feet in some coastal areas of North Carolina. Half a million tourists and residents rushed inland as Fran battered the coast and made its way inland. 

With winds still near hurricane strength, Fran blasted the Triangle, hitting the region harder than any hurricane since Hazel. It left a landscape littered without trees in virtually every neighborhood and power outages that lasted for more than a week.

Damage from Fran was so widespread that a state of emergency was declared in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties – the first time in state history. Damage was pegged at $2.3 billion, and 24 people died.

Hurricane Florence made landfall at Wrightsville Beach in September of 2018. It became the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the Carolinas and killed 53 people in our state. It was also the costliest disaster in state history as the state of North Carolina reported preliminary damage estimates of $16.7 billion.. Florence dumped more than 30 inches of rain in a few North Carolina towns. That amount broke the highest single-storm rainfall amounts ever seen in eastern North Carolina.

During the storm, Raleigh had nearly seven inches of floodwater throughout the area. Southeast of the Triangle in Johnston and Wayne Counties rain totals reached 10 inches and led ot historic flooding. 

Eastern North Carolina rivers like the Cape Fear, Northeast Cape Fear, Lumberton and Waccamaw saw record flooding. A USGS report noted nine river gauges had floods topping their 1-in-500 year expected return intervals. Peak wind gusts were as high as 105 miles per hour near Wilmington.

Winds gusted to over 100 mph to damage many structures across southeastern North Carolina and storm surge amounts reached over four feet, eroding beaches.

Around 140,000 North Carolina residents registered for disaster assistance after the storm and some are still struggling to get relief.

It's hard to imagine what Hurricane Hazel would do today if it were to hit today with the same freakish ferocity with which it came ashore in October 1954. Hazel claims distinction as one of the deadliest and costliest storms in state history.

Hazel hit the southern coast of North Carolina at the worst time: the year's highest lunar tide, called the "marsh hen tide" by local hunters. The storm surge was a staggering 18 feet at Calabash. Winds were clocked at 150 mph on Holden Beach, and even as far inland as Goldsboro and Kinston, winds whipped at 120 mph. The storm still had hurricane-strength winds when it roared through Raleigh.

As it caused widespread destruction, Hazel quickly earned a nickname: The Bulldozer. Trees snapped like dry spaghetti, littering highways by the thousands. Former soldiers likened the damage to a scene out of World War II.

Nineteen people died, and more than 200 people were hurt during Hazel's march across eastern North Carolina. More than 15,000 homes and other buildings were destroyed, pegging property losses at $136 million. Hazel became a new point of reference for North Carolinians and created a high water mark for misery. Among the catastrophe, heroes emerged from the rubble, and dramatic rescues pumped a sense of hope into the Carolina psyche. A year later, three more hurricanes – Connie, Diane and Ione – pounded the state but did not hold a candle to Hazel.

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene ravaged western North Carolina. Helene killed at least 107 people in North Carolina and 251 people total. 

Western North Carolina is not generally considered in the danger zone for hurricanes, which took the state by surprise. This was the most destructive storm to hit mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005 which caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans. 

Several smaller storms preceded Helene before the hurricane hit the state. High wind speeds toppled trees and rivers flooded quickly. 

Helene, the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Maria in 2017, has caused billions of dollars in damage. Parts of western North Carolina are still rebuilding, even years later.

In March, Gov. Stein proposed the next phase of Helene recovery efforts in western North Carolina. A key focus area is building stronger infrastructure. 

After Hurricane Helene, North Carolina has invested $5 million in solar energy technology to ensure power grids remain fuctional during future disasters.