Cape Hatteras,North carolina's history with tropical systems
current weather
(br)=brush (ts)=Tropical Storm (bd)=Back Door,meaning coming from over land from opposite coast.Not all names are noted,also storms before 1950 were not named.Not every stat on every storm description is given.(since 1871)
Cape Hatteras most likely to be hit by a hurricane between August 24th and august 30th
Years within or near core
1871tsbr,1874bdtsbr,1875tsbr,1877tsbr,1878br,1878bdbr,1879m,1879tsbr,1880,1881bdtsbr,1882tsbr,1882br,1885,1885br,1887-2m,1887ts,1888tsbr,1888ts,1888br,1889ts,1893bdtsbr,
1893tsbd,1893-2ts,1894ts,1894tsbr,1897-3ts,1899m,1900xtropst,1901br,1903br,1907xtropst,1908,1908ts,1910xtropst,1910ts,1912xtropstbd,1913br,1918ts,1924m,1924xtropstbd,
1925xtropts,1930br,1933-2,1934xtroph,1936,1937ts,1937tsbr,1938xtropst,1940br,1944,1945ts,1946bdts,1949,1950m,1951,1951br,1953,1954,1954m,1955-2,1958br,1958m,1960,1962,
1963ts,1964-2bdts,1964xtropst,1968,1969br,1971tsbr,1971br,1972bdts,1972tsbr,1975tsbr,1976br,1981bdts,1982subtr,1984ts,1985,1986,1991m,1992ts,1993m,1995xtropstbd,1996bdbr,
1996xtropstbd,1998ts,1999-2br,1999,2002ts,2003,2004,2005,2007ts,2010br,2011,2014,2016bdts,2016br,2017br,2018br,2018bdtsbr,2019,2020tsbr,2020bdtsbr,2021tsbd,2021ts,2022bdtsbr,2023bdtsbr,2023tsbr
118 times in 152yrs end of 2023






Names from list above
Able,Able (again),How,Barbara,Carol,Edna,Connie,Ione,Daisy,Helene,Donna,Alma,Ginny,Cleo,Dora,Isbell,Gladys,Gerda,Dawn,Hallie,Agnes,Doria,Ginger,Belle,Dennis,Diana,Gloria,Charley,Bob,
Danielle,Emily,Allison,Bertha,Josephine,Bonnie,Dennis,Floyd,Irene,Gustav,Isabel,Alex,Ophelia,Gabrielle,Earl,Irene,Arthur,Hermine,Matthew,Maria,Florence,Michael,Dorian,Arthur,Isaias,Claudette,
Elsa,Ian,Idalia,Ophelia


Tropical Storm to Hurricane ratio
TS=60, 50.85% H=58, 49.15%
only 9.26% of all tropical systems affecting Cape Hatteras are major hurricanes this includes brushes

Longest gap between storms
5 years 1919-1923

How often Cape Hatteras gets affected?
brushed or hit every 1.29 years

Average years between direct hurricane hits.(hurricane force winds for at least a few hours)
(36h)once every 4.22 years State stats

Average years between direct major hurricane hits.(major hurricane at adv upon passage)
(9) Every 16.89 years

Average MPH of hurricane hits. (based on advisories sustained winds, not gusts)
99 mph

Statistically when Cape Hatteras should be affected next
before the end of 2025
This is just a statistical average & does not mean the area will be affected by that year

Last affected by
2023 Sept 23rd tropical storm Ophelia passes just west while moving north with 65mph winds,Cape Hatteras gust's to 50mph..

This areas hurricane past
1879 Aug 18th 115mph from the south
1880 Sept 9th back door hurricane 80mph from the S.W
1885 Aug 26th 80mph from the WSW.
1887 Aug 20th, 120mph just east from the S.W. Hit Map
1887 Aug 24th, 125mph from the S.W passes 46 miles to east.Hit Map
1899 August 17th 120mph from the S.E Cape Hatteras experienced 93 mph winds with gusts of 120 to 140 mph before the anemometer blew away. The island was covered by 4 to 10 feet of water.25 deaths reported in North Carolina pressure 28.62 inches at 8:00PM ET. Numerous ships sunk offshore weather map
1908 May 29th,75mph from the SSW
1924 Aug 25th, 125mph just east from the SSW
1933 Aug 23rd, 80mph from the ESE
1933 on sept 16th ,90mph from the SSE 21 killed from a hurricane causing major damage,high storm surge in Pamlico & Albermarle sounds due to gusts of 125mph.Pressure 28.25 with 13 inches of rain reported.
1934 Sept 8th extratropical hurricane hits just east with 80mph winds
1936 Sept 18th,105mph from the S.E
1944 Sept 14th a hurricane hits with 105 mph from the south , press 27.97, 390 lost at sea. Weather office reports 90mph winds while brushing just east & heading out to sea.
1949 Aug 24th,110mph from the SSW passes just east
1950 Aug 20th Hurricane Able passes just east from the SSW with 130mph winds
1951 May 21st Hurricane Able just east with 75mph winds (hurdat2) from the SSW
1953 aug 13th hurricane Barbara 95mph from the south gusts to 100mph,some roof damage as she turned N.E & headed out to sea.| weather map
1954 hurricane Carol from the SSW 90mph(hurdat) aug 30th gusts to 90 & 100mph while brushing just east by 30 miles. Huge waves tear up fishing piers.Only a few houses unroofed
1954 Sept 10th Hurricane Edna passes just east from the SSW with 125mph winds
1955 aug 12th hurricane Connie 95mph (hurdat) from the south just west Newspaper headline
1955 Sept 19 Hurricane Ione from the south passes just west with 100mph winds (hurdat)
1958 sept 27th hurricane Helene just south with 125mph winds while moving NE. Sustained NNE @69mph,9:55PM,peak gust 106mph N,4.85inch of rain.NHC notes
1960 sept 12th hurricane Donna passes just west of here from the SSW with 105mph winds causing moderate damage. more here
1962 hurricane Alma aug 28th 75mph winds from the S.W just south & east
1968 Oct 20th Hurricane Gladys 80mph from the S.W passes just east.
1985 sept 27th hurricane Gloria passes over with with 110mph winds from the south,. Pressure 27.98 winds reported at 6mph as eye passes over. Newspaper headline | more on Hurricane Gloria here
1986 Aug 17th, Hurricane Charley 75mph from the south
1991 Aug 18th Hurricane Bob passes just east with 115mph winds from the SSW
1993 hurricane Emily hits sept 1st with 115mph winds from the south before turing ENE for a short period of time causing some roof damage.
1999 hurricane Floyd Sept 16th, 95mph from the SSW just west
2003 Sept 18th Hurricane Isabel hits with 100mph winds from the SSE causing moderate damage.Maximum 1 minute wind 105mph Moving NW @24mph some roof damage,some coastal homes destroyed. 1,700 ft wide channel cut into Pamlico sound.10 ft storm surge observed in the Neuse river.-6 to 8 ft in upper Chesapeake river. | damage photos | Newspaper article | USGS surge info | hit map
2004 Aug 3rd Hurricane Alex hits with 100mph winds from the SSW on the way out to sea,causing heavy flooding around sounds.West eyewall on Cape hatteras with most cat 2 winds remaining offshore.. Pressure 28.70. Hundreds of cars flooded due to quick rising surge.Unofficial peak gust was 102mph in hatteras village. A gust to 87mph recorded in Avon before instrument failed.6 to 8 inches of rain in most areas.Damage est less than 5 million.
2005 Sept 15th Hurricane Ophelia hits just south with 80mph winds before moving out to sea from the S.W.
2011 Aug 27th,Hurricane Irene hits from the south with 85mph winds.Hatteras Island was not accessible due to multiple areas of overwash on Hwy 12 north of Rodanthe.The Town of Duck not accessible because of impassable roads.280,000 in east carolina without power.The hurricane forced waters up into the Currituck and Albemarle sounds and when winds shifted, the pent-up waters came rushing back toward the south.Post storm surveys indicate a surge of 8 to 11 ft occured in portions of Pamlico Sound.The highest surge was reported at Oregon Inlet 7.09ft. There was widespread flooding of buildings on both sides of Roanoke Island including Wanchese and Manteo. Many homes flooded on the soundside of the beach towns and in Dare County's unincorporated areas including East Lake, Stumpy Point, Colington Harbor and Manns Harbor, all of which report major damage.Official high wind gust at uscg station 79mph sustained 60mph Hurricane Warning Show | Irene model history | Radar animation | USGS surge info
2014 July 4th hurricane Arthur hits while moving N.E with 100 mph winds.Highway 12 road was submerged under several feet of water Friday morning with some road buckled .As of Friday morning, more than 41,000 customers in North Carolina were without power but overall minor damage.Official surge of 2.6ft measured on Cape Hatteras sound side.Sixteen structures major damage, 145 minor damage.Minimum pressure of 988.1mb measured at coast guard station.NHC final report | hurricanecity.com live broadcast as it happened
2019 Sept 6th Hurricane Dorian eye passes over while Dorian was moving NE with 95 mph winds 959.7mb. Area had gust's to 100mph and 110mph at Cedar Isl Ferry Terminal . 5.55 ft above normal tide levels at a NOAA National Ocean Service gauge at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Hatteras on the Pamlico Sound side of the Outer Banks. (per NHC report) NHC report


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Stat sources: NHC Track maps/hurdat2/cyclone reports Hurricane research division
Text Sources:(alp)....Divine Wind Kerry Emanuel.....Florida Hurricanes & Tropical Storms John M. Williams & Iver W.Duedall.....Florida's Hurricane History Jay Barnes.....Hurricane Almanac Bryan Norcross.....hurricanecity.com (calculations) Jim Williams.....Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States Rick Schwartz.....Hurricane Watch Dr. Bob Sheets & Jack Williams.....Inside the Hurricane Pete Davies..... Isaac's Storm Erik Larson..... Killer Cane Robert Mykle.....Lunatic Wind William Price Fox....Miami Herald newspaper(microfilm).....Path of destruction John McQuaid & Mark Schleifstein.....Sun sentinel newspaper(microfilm).....The Major Hurricanes to affect the Bahamas Wayne Neely.....The Ship & the Storm Jim Carrier.....plus many more.............
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