Here's what Hurricane Fran did to NC in 1996: Only 115-125 mph.!

[KoKo]

I thought I would check out the size and strength of the Hurrican that came inland in NC and did so much damange to Raleigh/Durham and Chapel Hill, in '96. If this one is bigger.......I don't know.....:scared:

Mods: this is from NCDC, GOV., and I don't believe it's copyrighted.



Introduction

Hurricane Fran slammed into North Carolina's southern coast on September 5th, 1996 with
sustained winds of approximately 115 MPH, and gusts as high as 125 MPH. At some point, 1.7
million customers in North Carolina and 400,000 customers in Virginia lost electricity. The overall
death toll was 37, including 24 in North Carolina. Flooding was also a severe problem in North
Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. Fran produced rainfall amounts of over 10 inches in
parts of eastern North Carolina and western Virginia.

Damages for homes and businesses in North Carolina (NC) were estimated at approximately $2.3
billion. Damages/costs related to public property (debris removal, roads and bridges, public
buildings, utilities, etc) were estimated at about $1.1 billion for NC. Agricultural damage (crops,
livestock, buildings) in NC was over $700 million. Wake County (Raleigh and vicinity) alone
reported over $900 million in damage to residential and commercial property. Finally, forestry/timber
losses for the state probably exceeded $1 billion.

Taken collectively, total damages/costs for NC are estimated at approximately $5 billion. With the
addition of lesser damages for states to the north, the storm's total cost was well in excess of $5
billion, making Fran the third most costly hurricane in U.S. history, moving Opal (1995) into fourth
place. However, it's important to note that the figures for earlier storms are not adjusted for inflation
(see below for a web site with inflation-adjusted figures).

Just prior to landfall of Fran, a small portion of western North Carolina-- in the Bat Cave, Chimney
Rock, Lake Lure areas--received up to 11 inches of rain in a 3 hour period. The rains were the
result of nearly stationary, very heavy thunderstorms associated with an upper level low pressure
system. Severe damage to property in the immediate area resulted, with about 70 homes/businesses
destroyed or significantly damaged.

[slackmaster]

1. I had a similar image as my Windows wallpaper for a few years

I know some people in NC who were affected by that storm.