North Carolina has a very appealing climate, and the weather here is a large reason why so many people are moving to live in this area. But we also have our fair share of severe weather, and it is critical to understand patterns in severe weather to protect the lives and property of our citizens. For this reason, the State Climate Office studies the history of severe weather in North Carolina. We not only study tropical cyclones, tornadoes, and winter storm climatologies, but we make this information available to everyone for planning, decision-making, and general education. Our website has a history of tropical storms that have passed through North Carolina, and we regularly give presentations on the threats of flooding and wind damage due to tropical cyclones. Such research and outreach help to inform the public and improve severe weather management and mitigation in North Carolina.

Tropical cyclones are low pressure systems that form over warm tropical oceans. The primary energy source for a tropical cyclone is the release of latent heat, which is most prevalent over warm ocean waters. The time of the year when tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean is from June to November with the peak of the Atlantic tropical cyclone season in early September. The average number of storms that reach hurricane intensity per year in the Atlantic basin is about six. A tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Ocean begins as an area of low pressure near the coast of western Africa. The Gulf of Mexico is also a common place for a tropical cyclone to form. If the atmospheric and oceanic conditions are favorable, it can intensify into a tropical depression, then a tropical storm, and then a hurricane. Tropical cyclones are referred to as hurricanes when their maximum sustained winds reach or exceed 74 mph (33 ms-1 or 65 kts). Hurricane intensity is further classified by the Saffir-Simpson scale, which rates hurricane intensity on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most intense. The Saffir-Simpson scale is shown in the table below.

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

North Carolina has a long and notorious history of destruction by hurricanes. Ever since the first expeditions to Roanoke Island in 1586, hurricanes are recorded to have caused tremendous damage to the state. Reliable classification of the intensity of tropical cyclones began in 1886. Since that time, there have been 951 tropical cyclones that have been recorded in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 166 or 17.5% of those tropical cyclones passed within 300 miles of North Carolina. Table 1 contains the number and percentage of tropical storms and hurricanes that made landfall in North Carolina or made landfall in another state and later passed through North Carolina. The coast of North Carolina can expect to receive a tropical storm or a hurricane once every four years, while a tropical cyclone affects the state every 1.3 years.

North Carolina Tropical Cyclone Statistics (1886 - 1996)

The state's protruding coastline makes it a favorable target for tropical cyclones (TC) that curve northward in the western Atlantic Ocean. Not surprisingly, the most favored location for tropical cyclones to make landfall in North Carolina is Cape Hatteras. The other two protrusions in the North Carolina coastline, Cape Fear and Cape Lookout, are also favored areas for tropical cyclones to make landfall. Table 2 at the bottom lists all hurricanes and tropical storms that have made direct landfall in North Carolina since 1800. Approximate location of landfall and estimated wind speed and storm surge at landfall are also listed.