It has been seven decades since a Category 4 hurricane made landfall in North Carolina.

What You Need To Know

  • Hurricane Hazel made landfall near the North and South Carolina state line on Oct. 15, 1954

  • It is still the strongest hurricane on record to come inland in North Carolina

  • Wind gusts up to 150 mph were reported near the coast

Hurricane Hazel came inland on Oct. 15, 1954 near the state line with South Carolina. Wind gusts from the storm were estimated at up to 150 mph.

Hazel is still the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in North Carolina.

A storm surge of up to 18 feet was reported along the southeast coast of North Carolina.

We also felt Hazel's effects well inland from the coast. Wind gusts reached up to 110 mph in Fayetteville and 90 mph in Raleigh. 

After the storm, reports estimated there were at least two to three trees down per city block in Raleigh. Many of those trees were on homes and automobiles.

Hazel was a fast-moving storm, and its remnants made it to Canada.

In North Carolina, Hazel claimed 19 lives. Overall, the hurricane destroyed about 15,000 homes and structures in the state. It damaged another 39,000 homes and structures.  

Hurricane Hazel was part of an active period for hurricanes in North Carolina during the 1950s. Between 1954 and 1955, six named storms made landfall or brought hurricane conditions to the state.

With a larger population, more businesses and many more homes and buildings, a storm like Hazel would cause much more damage now.

The storm made landfall in Brunswick County, which had a population around 19,000 in 1954. Now, county officials say it has more than 150,000 and growing.