FIRST ALERT: A look back at notable SC hurricanes

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - September 10th is the peak of hurricane season, but by no means does it indicate the season is over.

Hurricane season runs through the end of November and some of South Carolina’s most notable hurricanes have hit after the season peak on September 10th.

HURRICANE FLORENCE, September 15, 2018

-Heavy rainfall also occurred in South Carolina, with 23.63 inches of rain observed near Loris, setting a new state record for rainfall from a hurricane

-The Waccamaw River in Conway crested at 22.1 ft on September 26, exceeding the Hurricane Matthew record of 19.1 ft.

-Some homes Socastee were flooded with as much as 8 ft of water.

-Damage statewide were at least $1.2 billion.

HURRICANE MATTHEW October 8, 2016

-Category 1 storm before making landfall near McClellanville, SC with winds near 85 mph.

- Produced hurricane force wind gusts along the entire coast of SC.

- Significant coastal flooding from high storm tides including a record level at Fort Pulaski and 2nd highest surge on record in Myrtle Beach

-Rainfall reached up to 18 inches and lead to historic flooding.

HURRICANE FLOYD September 15, 1999

-Responsible for the largest evacuation in US history.

-Landfall near Wilmington as a category 2 hurricane.

-Winds reached 85 mph in Charleston and gusted to over 75 mph across much of the Grand Strand.

-Rainfall reached 20 inches in parts of Horry County and resulted in major flooding.

HUGO September 22, 1989

-Hugo made landfall at high tide during the autumnal equinox; Cape Romain reported a tidal surge of 19.8 feet.

-Wind speeds of 120 mph reported in downtown Charleston with 138 mph reported by a Coast Guard cutter.

-82 deaths in the U.S. and Virgin Islands (26 in SC) and more than $10 billion total property damages were attributed to Hugo.

-The hurricane hunter aircraft nearly crashed because of reported winds of 190 mph in Hugo at a flight level of 500 meters. Because of damage to the plane, more than 50,000 pounds of fuel had to be dumped to save the lives of crewmen.

-A week after Hugo hit, nearly 60,000 people were homeless because of 5,100 homes destroyed and 12,000 uninhabitable

HURRICANE DONNA September 11, 1960

-Landfall in the FL Keys as a Cat 4 hurricane then moved northeast while weakening to a Cat 1 and then re-strengthening to a Cat 2 off the SC coast.

-Produced heavy rain and 60 to 80 mph wind gusts across much of the South Carolina Coast.

-Donna holds the record of the only storm to produce hurricane force wind gusts in every single state on the east coast of the US.

HURRICANE GRACIE September 30, 1959

-Rainfall of 3 to 8″ in South Carolina from Gracie helped to alleviate drought conditions over the Carolinas and Virginia.

-Wind gusts estimated at 170 mph created the worst wind damage in the history of the city of Beaufort.

-Gracie made landfall within an hour of low tide in the Beaufort area, which reduced storm surge to less than 12 feet.

-An F2 tornado in Ivy, VA, killed 12 people. Another 10 deaths resulted from falling objects and auto accidents.

-Of $14 million in damages, Charleston County exhibited the most widespread with more than 50% of the total estimate

HURRICANE HAZEL October 15, 1954

-Hazel had a forward speed of more than 30 mph allowing places like Washington, DC, to report 78 mph wind gusts.

-The total number of deaths may be more than 1,000 with 95 in the United States, 100 in Canada, and nearly 1,000 in Haiti.

-Flooding from 11 inches of rainfall contributed to 20 drownings in the Carolinas and 78 deaths in Canada.

-A hurricane hunter was injured when reconnaissance aircraft hit severe turbulence entering the eye wall of Hazel.

-Every pier and lines of beach homes along 170 miles of beach from Myrtle Beach to Wilmington were demolished.

UNNAMED HURRICANE October 13, 1893

-Landfall north of Charleston with 120 mph winds.

-Produced significant flooding due to already wet ground from previous storms.

UNNAMED HURRICANE October 31, 1899

-Landfall in Myrtle Beach with winds of 110 mph.

-Latest hurricane on record to hit the Grand Strand.

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