Hurricane Fran
Aug 23, 1996 to Sep 10, 1996Peak 121 mph946 mb
Hurricane Fran passed within 50 miles of 59 counties in 3 states. It was strongest near Georgetown County, SC, as a Category 3 on September 6, 1996.
- Major hurricane
- Hurricane
- Tropical storm
- Post-tropical
Hurricane Fran · 1996
How it happened
Follow the storm’s path, strength and milestones.
The storm
- Peak strength
- Category 3
- 121 mph, 105 kt
- Lowest pressure
- 946 mb
- Over the whole track
- Counties within 50 miles
- 59
- NC, SC, VA
- Counties within 100 miles
- 114
- NC, SC, VA
- Landfalls recorded
- 1
- Anywhere on the track
Every county it passed
Closest approach to each county boundary, with the storm’s strength at that moment.
| Sampson County | NC | 0.0 | Category 1 |
| Halifax County | VA | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Harnett County | NC | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Cumberland County | NC | 0.0 | Category 1 |
| Person County | NC | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Brunswick County | NC | 0.0 | Category 3 |
| Campbell County | VA | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Bladen County | NC | 0.0 | Category 2 |
| Wake County | NC | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Durham County | NC | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Lynchburg city | VA | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Pittsylvania County | VA | 3.0 | Tropical storm |
| Bedford County | VA | 3.5 | Tropical storm |
| Pender County | NC | 3.9 | Category 2 |
| Orange County | NC | 3.9 | Tropical storm |
| Columbus County | NC | 4.5 | Category 2 |
| Johnston County | NC | 5.3 | Tropical storm |
| Chatham County | NC | 6.5 | Tropical storm |
| New Hanover County | NC | 7.3 | Category 3 |
| Granville County | NC | 9.1 | Tropical storm |
| Charlotte County | VA | 10.3 | Tropical storm |
| Appomattox County | VA | 11.5 | Tropical storm |
| Caswell County | NC | 12.2 | Tropical storm |
| Lee County | NC | 13.3 | Tropical storm |
| Mecklenburg County | VA | 13.6 | Tropical storm |
| Duplin County | NC | 14.1 | Category 1 |
| Franklin County | NC | 17.7 | Tropical storm |
| Danville city | VA | 18.9 | Tropical storm |
| Alamance County | NC | 20.2 | Tropical storm |
| Robeson County | NC | 20.6 | Category 1 |
| Vance County | NC | 21.9 | Tropical storm |
| Moore County | NC | 22.5 | Category 1 |
| Hoke County | NC | 22.5 | Category 1 |
| Wayne County | NC | 23.2 | Category 1 |
| Prince Edward County | VA | 24.8 | Tropical storm |
| Franklin County | VA | 25.9 | Tropical storm |
| Horry County | SC | 29.9 | Category 3 |
| Rockingham County | NC | 30.5 | Tropical storm |
| Lunenburg County | VA | 31.0 | Tropical storm |
| Nash County | NC | 31.2 | Tropical storm |
| Henry County | VA | 32.0 | Tropical storm |
| Warren County | NC | 33.4 | Tropical storm |
| Wilson County | NC | 34.2 | Tropical storm |
| Roanoke County | VA | 35.3 | Tropical storm |
| Guilford County | NC | 35.4 | Tropical storm |
| Roanoke city | VA | 37.5 | Tropical storm |
| Onslow County | NC | 38.3 | Category 2 |
| Randolph County | NC | 38.9 | Tropical storm |
| Cumberland County | VA | 39.4 | Tropical storm |
| Scotland County | NC | 40.9 | Category 1 |
| Richmond County | NC | 44.2 | Category 1 |
| Lenoir County | NC | 44.3 | Category 1 |
| Jones County | NC | 44.9 | Category 1 |
| Dillon County | SC | 44.9 | Category 2 |
| Martinsville city | VA | 45.1 | Tropical storm |
| Salem city | VA | 45.1 | Tropical storm |
| Nottoway County | VA | 47.9 | Tropical storm |
| Marion County | SC | 49.0 | Category 2 |
| Halifax County | NC | 49.8 | Tropical storm |
| Brunswick County | VA | 50.7 | Tropical storm |
| Amelia County | VA | 50.9 | Tropical storm |
| Greene County | NC | 51.6 | Category 1 |
| Montgomery County | NC | 51.7 | Category 1 |
| Floyd County | VA | 53.2 | Tropical storm |
| Patrick County | VA | 54.5 | Tropical storm |
| Montgomery County | VA | 55.0 | Tropical storm |
| Marlboro County | SC | 55.1 | Category 1 |
| Edgecombe County | NC | 55.7 | Tropical storm |
| Stokes County | NC | 58.0 | Tropical storm |
| Georgetown County | SC | 58.3 | Category 3 |
| Northampton County | NC | 58.5 | Tropical storm |
| Powhatan County | VA | 59.1 | Tropical storm |
| Pitt County | NC | 60.6 | Tropical storm |
| Forsyth County | NC | 61.8 | Tropical storm |
| Dinwiddie County | VA | 64.5 | Tropical storm |
| Craven County | NC | 64.8 | Category 1 |
| Davidson County | NC | 65.1 | Tropical storm |
| Greensville County | VA | 66.0 | Tropical storm |
| Anson County | NC | 67.4 | Category 1 |
| Carteret County | NC | 67.9 | Category 2 |
| Florence County | SC | 70.8 | Category 2 |
| Chesterfield County | VA | 71.2 | Tropical storm |
| Williamsburg County | SC | 72.2 | Category 2 |
| Chesterfield County | SC | 72.6 | Category 1 |
| Pulaski County | VA | 73.0 | Tropical storm |
| Darlington County | SC | 73.1 | Category 1 |
| Radford city | VA | 73.4 | Tropical storm |
| Stanly County | NC | 73.5 | Tropical storm |
| Charleston County | SC | 77.5 | Category 3 |
| Sussex County | VA | 77.6 | Tropical storm |
| Carroll County | VA | 78.2 | Tropical storm |
| Emporia city | VA | 78.9 | Tropical storm |
| Rowan County | NC | 78.9 | Tropical storm |
| Surry County | NC | 80.2 | Tropical storm |
| Martin County | NC | 81.0 | Tropical storm |
| Southampton County | VA | 81.8 | Tropical storm |
| Yadkin County | NC | 84.0 | Tropical storm |
| Davie County | NC | 84.1 | Tropical storm |
| Beaufort County | NC | 84.2 | Category 1 |
| Cabarrus County | NC | 85.1 | Tropical storm |
| Bertie County | NC | 85.5 | Tropical storm |
| Henrico County | VA | 86.2 | Tropical storm |
| Pamlico County | NC | 86.8 | Category 2 |
| Berkeley County | SC | 87.2 | Category 3 |
| Union County | NC | 87.8 | Tropical storm |
| Richmond city | VA | 88.7 | Tropical storm |
| Wythe County | VA | 90.4 | Tropical storm |
| Prince George County | VA | 90.8 | Tropical storm |
| Petersburg city | VA | 90.8 | Tropical storm |
| Colonial Heights city | VA | 93.5 | Tropical storm |
| Hertford County | NC | 93.9 | Tropical storm |
| Sumter County | SC | 96.5 | Category 2 |
| Clarendon County | SC | 98.4 | Category 2 |
| Hopewell city | VA | 98.5 | Tropical storm |
Distances are measured from hourly positions interpolated between the National Hurricane Center’s six-hourly fixes to each county boundary. Strength is shown only where the storm was still tropical. Methodology.
National Hurricane Center HURDAT2. Storm totals cover the Atlantic and Northeast and Central Pacific basins.