North Carolina, 2004

Hurricane in North Carolina, August 14, 2004

August 14, 2004 · NWS ILM · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

5 hurricane (typhoon), as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
3
Property damage
$10 million
Crop damage
$2.5 million
Events
5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wilmington, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 13, 4:05 PM EST, 15 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 13, 4:05 PM EST, 15 hours 55 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 13, 10:54 AM EST, 21 hours 6 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hurricane (typhoon). Local standard time, as filed.

Hurricane (Typhoon), Brunswick

When
August 14, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Brunswick forecast zone
Property damage
$6.3 million
Crop damage
$2.0 million
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

Hurricane (Typhoon), Bladen

When
August 14, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Bladen forecast zone
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
34.614, -78.563 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane Charley initially made landfall on the west coast of Florida between Fort Myers and Tampa as a category four hurricane. The storm crossed Florida, and exited the coast as a category one. It continued northeast and made landfall again near Cape Romain as a weak category one hurricane with sustained winds at 75 mph. It moved up the coast and then inland around Myrtle Beach. In Horry and Georgetown counties, insurance claims totaled $5 million, mostly along the Grand Strand. There were downed trees, roof damage, and flooding along the coast in this area. 65,000 residents lost power, and the estimate for cleanup in Georgetown county alone was $1.5 million. As Charley moved northeast, Brunswick county was hit the hardest, with peak winds around 85 mph. Damage was extensive, with 2231 homes damaged, 231 with major damage, and 40 homes destroyed in the county for a total of $6.3 million. Many beach homes were damaged, with 221 homes damaged at Sunset Beach alone. Crop damage in Brunswick county was also widespread, with 50 percent of the tobacco crop lost, and 30 percent of the corn and field vegetables destroyed. New Hanover county was the next hardest hit, with many business damaged in Wilmington and surrounding cities. The majority of the county had power outages from downed limbs on power lines. Rainfall ranged from two inches near the coast, to around four inches from eastern Bladen county, south through Columbus county. Vegetative debris was widespread, plugging storm drains and contributing to ponding and flooding the next day. Storm surge was minimal, with some minor overwash. Thankfully, only a few minor injuries were reported.

Hurricane (Typhoon), New Hanover

When
August 14, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
New Hanover forecast zone
Property damage
$3.0 million
Crop damage
$500,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

Hurricane (Typhoon), Pender

When
August 14, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Pender forecast zone
Property damage
$875,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

Hurricane (Typhoon), Columbus

When
August 14, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Columbus forecast zone
Property damage
$150,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
34.265, -78.655 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Hurricane (Typhoon)
A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 64 knots (74 mph) or more, filed per forecast zone for its wind, and with separate events for its flooding, surge and tornadoes.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, August 2004The 2004 hurricane season

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5418931, 5418932, 5418933, 5418934, 5418935.