Question: What was the worst August hurricane to hit North Carolina?
Answer: San Ciriaco (also called the August Storm of 1899), which made landfall at Hatteras on August 17, 1899, with 121 mph winds (Category 3) is considered the worst hurricane to hit North Carolina during August.
From the North Carolina State Climate Office’s list of direct hurricane landfalls in the state, the strongest August storms by maximum sustained winds at landfall are:
- San Ciriaco (Aug. 17, 1899): 121 mph (Category 3)
- “Great Beaufort” (Aug. 18, 1879): 115 mph (Category 3)
- Bonnie (Aug. 27, 1998): 109 mph (Category 2)
- Connie (Aug. 12, 1955): 98 mph (Category 2)
San Ciriaco ranks as the most intense August landfall on this list (and one of the strongest overall for North Carolina). “Worst” can also reflect total impacts (deaths, damage, flooding), which the page does not rank quantitatively, but intensity at landfall is the primary metric provided.
