| Country Deaths Damage |
U.S. Virgin Islands 3 $500 million |
|---|
What category hurricane was Hugo?
Category 5 Hurricane (SSHWS)
How long did Hurricane Hugo last?
September 9, 1989 – September 25, 1989
| Country Deaths Damage |
U.S. Virgin Islands 3 $500 million |
|---|
Category 5 Hurricane (SSHWS)
September 9, 1989 – September 25, 1989
Hurricane Camille of 1969
had the highest wind speed at landfall, at an estimated 190 miles per hour when it struck the Mississippi coast. This wind speed at landfall is the highest ever recorded worldwide.
Landfall occurred at midnight of Sept. 22, 1989, near Sullivan’s Island. THE IMPACTS: A 20-foot storm surge at the coast and hurricane-force wind gusts observed
200 miles
inland, Hugo delivered severe impacts to both South and North Carolina.
| Country Deaths Damage |
U.S. Virgin Islands 3 $500 million |
|---|
Hurricane Hugo began as a tropical disturbance off the west African coast on September 9, 1989. It belongs to the class of hurricanes termed Cape Verde storms.
Hugo gained intensity while crossing the Atlantic
, and by September 13 it had reached full hurricane status, with a wind speed in excess of 64 knots (74 mph).
September 25, 1989
Hugo made landfall near Charleston, South Carolina, and it reached Charlotte about five hours later. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Thirty-two years ago, a
Category 4
Hurricane ravaged the Carolinas.
Twenty-five years ago
around midnight on September 22
, Hurricane Hugo made landfall just north of Charleston, South Carolina at Sullivan’s Island as a Category 4 storm with estimated maximum winds of 135-140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 934 millibars (27.58 inches of Hg).
Developing from a cluster of thunderstorms off the coast of Africa on September 9, 1989
, Hugo steadily intensified into a tropical depression (southeast of the Cape Verde Islands) on 10 September, and then a tropical storm on 11 September. On 13 September, the storm became a hurricane.
Category 5 is what we use to identify the strongest hurricanes on the planet, with sustained winds of 157 miles per hour or more. But
some Atlantic hurricanes, such as Dorian in 2019, have had sustained winds in the 185 miles-per-hour range. That’s arguably strong enough to merit a Category 6 designation.
| Rank Hurricane Season |
1 “Galveston” 1900 |
2 “San Ciriaco” 1899 | 3 Maria 2017 | 4 “Okeechobee” 1928 |
|---|
Hurricane Ida
was close to becoming just the fifth hurricane to hit the US as a Category 5 storm. Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana Sunday, battering the region with winds so rough that it was tied for the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever strike the US.
Garden City, SC
: Although the worst of Hugo’s wind remained just south of Garden City a tremendous storm surge wiped out up to 90 percent of homes and undermined beachfront hotels and condos.
Just after midnight on Sept. 22, Hugo made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Sullivan’s Island with 140 mph winds and a
12-foot
storm surge. More than 250,000 evacuated the coast, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
162 mph
Hugo was blamed for
27 deaths
in South Carolina. More than 26,000 homes were either destroyed or severely damaged and more than 227,900 homes lost power. For some, they faced up to two weeks without electricity as utility crews worked to restore service.
174 mph
Hurricane Hugo, September 1989
Considered by many to be the worst hurricane in modern South Carolina history. The storm leveled parts of the Charleston area, as well as the southern Grand Strand, before cutting through the center of South Carolina, smacking the Columbia and Sumter areas, and blasting Charlotte.
With its 100-plus mph winds and storm surge that reached 20 feet in places, Hugo
demolished homes and buildings and snapped trees like matchsticks
. Roads were impassable. Electricity was out for weeks in places. In total, Hugo caused nearly $7 billion in damage in South Carolina.
September 9, 1989 – September 25, 1989
To assist victims of Hurricane Hugo, FEMA
provided temporary housing assistance to about 30,000 victims in South Carolina
, which included providing grants to homeowners and renters or providing mobile homes.