History shows hurricanes can cause severe damage in Charlotte area

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hurricane Hugo's devastation in 1989 is undebatable. It brought 100 mph wind gusts to the Charlotte area and knocked out power for weeks.

But if you look at the track of the storm, Hugo was actually weakening to tropical storm status as it moved through. On this date in Charlotte 120 years ago, a full-fledged hurricane tore all the way through, bringing stronger and steadier winds.

It "produced a lot of tornadoes in the Charlotte metro area," said hurricane researcher Dr. Matt Eastin at University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Eastin said it also dropped nearly 5 inches of rain and had 75 mph winds.

The heart of the storm moved right through Concord, while Hugo's path was 70 miles west.

Channel 9 couldn't find any pictures of storm damage in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg library archives.

Old Charlotte Observer articles tell tale after tale of devastation.

The stories describe mighty trees uprooted, chimneys blown down and streets covered with limbs and debris. The writer recalls the city looked like a tornado had swept through.

"I thought Charlotte was pretty safe from hurricanes. I don't think about hurricanes," said Teresa Hughes.

Both storms should stand to remind us that hurricanes are a very real threat in Charlotte. A storm with at least tropical storm strength comes within 50 miles of Charlotte every 10 years.

WSOC