How Often do the Carolinas Experience Major Hurricanes?

news image
Special Stories
12 Sep 2018 10:34 AM
With a Category 4, major hurricane heading toward the East Coast, with its path leading it to the Carolinas, some may be wondering, how often do the Carolina experience major hurricanes? First, let's define a major hurricane. Major hurricanes are hurricanes of category 3 or higher. That's a storm with maximum sustained wind of 111 mph. According to the National Hurricane Center, a major hurricane impacts this region between 17 and 34 years, on average. This statistic is based on a major hurricane passing within 50 nautical miles of the points of interest along the coast. This chart the below shows this statistic. It also shows that the farther north along the east coast, the longer time between impacts for a major hurricane. For instance, for the coast of Maine, this region would be impacted by a major hurricane every 120 to 290 years. Meaning that it much more rare for these regions to be impacted by these powerful storms. How Often do the Carolinas Experience Major Hurricanes? Source: National Hurricane Center For WeatherNation, I am Meteorologist Marcus Walter.  
All Weather News
More
TROPICS: Fernand Spins Around Atlantic, Four Areas to Watch in the Pacific

TROPICS: Fernand Spins Around Atlantic, Four Areas to Watch in the Pacific

About two-thirds of all Atlantic hurricane ac

27 Aug 2025 2:50 AM
More Records Fall Behind Impressive Front

More Records Fall Behind Impressive Front

A strong Summer cold front knifed its way thr

27 Aug 2025 2:25 AM
Monsoon Moisture Surges, Flood Risk From California to Colorado

Monsoon Moisture Surges, Flood Risk From California to Colorado

A surge of Monsoon moisture is streaming acro

27 Aug 2025 2:25 AM
Northwest: Fire Danger and Flooding

Northwest: Fire Danger and Flooding

Conditions for the Northwest have been hot an

27 Aug 2025 2:25 AM
Heat Alerts Continue for the Northwest

Heat Alerts Continue for the Northwest

Upper-level high pressure will stay dominant

26 Aug 2025 9:35 AM
Monsoon Moisture Drifts Into The Northwest

Monsoon Moisture Drifts Into The Northwest

A surge of Monsoon moisture is headed for the

26 Aug 2025 8:10 AM
Front Brings Storms to the Midwest and Front Range

Front Brings Storms to the Midwest and Front Range

A strong cold front is pushing across the Fro

25 Aug 2025 2:30 AM