Hugo made landfall near Charleston, S.C., around midnight on Sept. 22, 1989 as a Category 4 Hurricane.
Hugo came ashore with winds of 135-140 mph. The residents of Sullivan's Island, S.C., suffered the most significant damage due to the strong winds and high storm surge. Nearly all of the homes on Sullivan's Island were left uninhabitable.
Storm surge from Hugo ranged from 11.9 to 19.8 feet along the coast of South Carolina.
In the town of Charleston, most of the downtown buildings were damaged. Hurricane force winds were recorded as far inland as western North Carolina.
The power outages in the Carolinas were extensive. Immediately after Hugo moved through, there was nearly no electricity running east of Interstate 95 in South Carolina, according to an emergency report from the Strom Thurmond Institute.
When Hugo hit the U.S., it was the strongest storm to hit in the previous 20 years. Damages climbed to $7 billion and at least 49 people were killed by direct impacts of Hugo.
To view more damage pictures and read memories from people impacted by Hugo, follow the links below:
20th Anniversary: My Hurricane Hugo Photos
20th Anniversary of The Great Hurricane Hugo
Memories and photographs from Hurricane Hugo
Some of the warmest weather of the year will continue across Alaska over the next few days, challenging more records.
Join us on Thursday for AccuWeather LIVE, we will discuss the debate of climate change and hurricane frequency and the top five things you need to know about summer weather.
Warmth is forecast to build over much of the eastern half of the nation by July, with Alaska of all places helping out.
A brief synopsis of the top five worst weather events of last summer.
The storms could affect cities from St. Louis to Evansville, Ind., Louisville, Ky., Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio to Huntington, W.Va.
A tornado touched down at Denver International Airport as a severe weather system moved through the area.
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | N/A | |
| Low | N/A | |
| Precip | N/A |
Connecticut (1794)
A violent tornado started west of the Hudson River,
then travelled on to Poughkeepsie, Waterbury,
North Haven, Milford, and Branford line into Long
Island Sound. Extensive damage; funnel looked
like an "aurora borealis." At New Milford, 28
buildings were destroyed or damaged. A barn door
was carried 9 miles from its original site.
Central Illinois (1964)
19th-20th) Hail as large as grapefruits
battered more than 50 counties, causing crop
and property damage totalling $9.2 million.
New Brunswick, NJ (1835)
Great New Brunswick Tornado; 5 dead, 17-mile
path through the center of town; in all, 145
buildings were damaged. This is the worst tornado
catastrophe in New Jersey history to date.
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