A History of Hurricane Hugo

Hurricane Hugo is remembered as a rare and unique hurricane, in the sense that it primarily affected the Southeastern United States.  It originated off of the western coast of the African Continent around September 9, 1989.  It became a tropical depression on September 11, and a hurricane on September 13.  The hurricane made landfall in the Virgin Islands on September 17, and gradually continued towards coastal regions of the state of Georgia.  An "upper cyclone" in coastal Georgia caused Hurricane Hugo to divert towards the north-northwest; it made landfall off the coast of South Carolina on September 21st.

The map above (taken from the NOAA archives) charts the course and intensity of Hurricane Hugo over the course of its lifespan.  At one time Hugo was a category five hurricane; it hit South Carolina as a category four hurricane.  82 deaths were attributed to Hurricane Hugo, and its estimated damages amassed to over $17.4 billion.  Eastern Carolina reported the overall storm surge to be over 20 feet.