Cape Fear marks anniversaries of Hurricanes Fran, Dorian

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Today marks the anniversary of two of the Cape Fear’s most memorable recent hurricanes.

On September 5, 1996, Hurricane Fran made landfall as a Category 3 near the North Carolina and South Carolina state line with strong winds and heavy rain.

The barometric pressure in Wilmington fell to 961.4 millibars, the second all-time lowest pressure recorded in the Port City.

Wilmington saw a wind gust of 86 mph and picked up 5.23″ of rain.

In addition, Fran destroyed the Johnnie Mercers Fishing Pier in Wrightsville Beach and produced over $1.6 billion in property damage.

23 years later on September 5, 2019, Hurricane Dorian passed offshore of the Cape Fear by around 30 miles.

At least 15 tornadoes were spawned by Dorian that morning, with the strongest one being an EF2 that hit Calabash in Brunswick County damaging a dozen homes.

So far in 2022, it’s been a quiet Hurricane Season in the Atlantic.

Hurricane Danielle and Tropical Storm Earl (which is forecast to become a major hurricane) are the only two current named storms, with neither posing a threat to the Cape Fear.