Wilmington,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).

Years within 60 miles
1871bdts,1872ts,1874bd,1876br,1878br,1879,1880br,1881,1882tsbr,1883,1885bd,1888ts,1893bdts,1893bdbr,
1894tsbd,1897ts,1899br,1901ts,1907bdts,1908,1910ts,1916bdts,1916ts,1918br,1920ts,1928bdts,1934ts,1944,1946ts
1954,1955,1955ts,1958,1960bdts,1960,1961ts,1964bdts,1981tsbr,1982 subtrop,1984,1985bdts,1996ts,1996,1996br,1998,1999br,1999,2002tsbr,2004,2005,2006ts,2008ts
52 times in 139yrs end of 2009


Names from list above
Hazel,Diane,Dora,Brenda,Helene,Donna,Esther,Dennis,kate,Ginger,Diana,Arther,Bertha
,Fran,Bonnie,Dennis,Floyd ,Kyle,Charley,Ophelia,Ernesto,Hanna,


How often this area gets affected?
brushed or hit every 2.67 years

Average years between direct hurricane hits.(usually within 40 miles to include small hurricanes)
(17h)once every 8.18 years

Statistically when this area should be affected next
before the end of 2011
This is just a statistical average & does not mean the area will be affected by that year

Last affected by
2008 Sept 6th T.S Hanna hits just west while moving north with 65mph winds.

This areas hurricane past
1879 aug 18th a hurricane hits from the south
1883 sept 11th nearly 100 killed
1885 a back door hurricane hits with 90mph winds aug 25th
1888 oct 11th from the SSW
1920 sept 22nd a hurricane hits from the ESE
1944 aug 1st a minimal hurricane hits from the south
1954 hurricane Hazel oct 15th gusts to 100mph 8.2ft storm surge,even well inland up in Baltimore a 6 ft tide was reported ,Washington D.C 100mph.The winds & tides caused great destruction.The weather bureau at Wilmington N.C recorded a sustained 5 minute wind of 61mph with the fastest at 82mph & a gust to 98mph. The lowest pressure was 28.68 inches.The loss of homes in the carolinas was 1,635 homes destroyed and 16,655 damaged.Newspaper headlines | Hurricane Hazel page
1955 aug 17th hurricane Diane hits just north coming in from the SE winds 75mph at wilmington airport tides around 7 ft
1958 hurricane Helene gusts to 135mph NNE mostly stayed offshore passing 30 miles to the SE while moving NE. Heavy damage reported at beach resorts.North winds of 85mph on the 27th at 1:01PM. Rainfall 8.29 inch tides 9ft.NHC notes | newspaper clip
1960 hurricane donna just offshore sept 11th with 110mph winds causing moderate damage here as peak winds were 97mph. more here
1984 sept 13th Hurricane Diana comes ashore 38 miles to the south of wilmington with 90mph winds at it's closest approach to Wilmington.,Diana had 115mph sustained winds before landfall.wind map | Newspaper article #1 | Newspaper article #2 | Newspaper article #3
1996 hurricane Bertha 105mph area had gusts to 100 press 28.85 july 12th . Newspaper article | Radar
1996 hurricane Fran hits to north of area sept 5th press 28.23 area had gusts to 105mph heavy damage to north in topsail bch area & surf city over 1 billion dollars damage 23 killed storm surge approx 16ft. Newspaper headline | #2 | satelite image
1998 hurricane Bonnie august 26th 105mph gusts to 115mph press 28.48 moderate damage
1999 sept 16th Hurricane Floyd hit just east with 110mph winds,dumps nearly 20 inches of rain here & causes heavy damage to north on oak island.New Hanover county reported 10 ft storm surge on sound side of Masonboro.A record 13.38 invhes fell in 24 hrs.
2004 August 14th Hurricane Charley hits with 75mph winds from the SW after hitting Florida. Minor structural damage.
2005 Sept 14th Hurricane Ophelia passes just east with 85mph winds western eyewall over wilmington for a couple of hours. Widespread power outages & some minor roof damage & trees down.Ophelia Satellite image



Text Sources:The Major Hurricanes to affect the Bahamas Wayne Neely.....Hurricane Watch Dr. Bob Sheets & Jack Williams.....Inside the Hurricane Pete Davies.....The Ship & the Storm Jim Carrier.....Lunatic Wind William Price Fox...Sudden Sea R.A Scotti.....Hurricane Almanac Bryan Norcross.....Divine Wind Kerry Emanuel.....Florida's Hurricane History Jay Barnes.....Stormscaping Pamela Crawford.....Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States Rick Scwartz..... Killer Cane Robert Mykle..... Isaac's Storm Erik Larson.....Florida Hurricanes & Tropical Storms John M. Williams & Iver W.Duedall.....Path of destruction John McQuaid & Mark Schleifstein.....Sun sentinel newspaper(microfilm).....Miami Herald newspaper(microfilm).....NOAA research division.....hurricanecity.com (calculations) Jim Williams.....plus many more.............
See what cities get affected most by tropical systems
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