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
Quick Moving System To Bring More Snow to the Midwest

Quick Moving System To Bring More Snow to the Midwest

As bitterly cold air moves into the Northern

6 Dec 2025 5:35 PM
Stormy Weekend in the Northwest, Intense System Arrives Monday

Stormy Weekend in the Northwest, Intense System Arrives Monday

A series of storms is taking aim at the North

6 Dec 2025 2:00 PM
Arctic Blast to Bring Dangerous Conditions to Millions

Arctic Blast to Bring Dangerous Conditions to Millions

The Northern Tier of the country is no strang

6 Dec 2025 12:25 PM
Overnight Snow for the Colorado Rockies

Overnight Snow for the Colorado Rockies

DENVER, CO - Denver saw its first significant

6 Dec 2025 3:30 AM
Snow & Ice Lingers for the Mid-Atlantic & Appalachians

Snow & Ice Lingers for the Mid-Atlantic & Appalachians

Multiple low-pressure systems moving across t

5 Dec 2025 9:40 PM
Northern U.S. Bracing for Multiple Clipper Systems this Week

Northern U.S. Bracing for Multiple Clipper Systems this Week

MONTANA - A clipper system has been moving th

4 Dec 2025 2:00 AM
Gulf Low turns Coastal Low as Millions Brace for Plowable Snow

Gulf Low turns Coastal Low as Millions Brace for Plowable Snow

We're hoping many Thanksgiving travelers have

2 Dec 2025 8:50 PM