Introduction

 Hurricane Fran's Track

 Bracing for Hurricane Fran

 Coastal Landfall Conditions

 Regional Impacts

 New Hanover County Impacts

 References

 
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regional impacts


fran image


Wind

After making landfall along the southeastern North Carolina coast on September 5, Fran tracked north northwest for approximately the next 24 to 30 hours. Wind damages from Hurricane Fran varied along the storm track. The most significant damages from the wind itself occurred along the coast. As the storm moved inland, most damages resulted from falling trees. The winds caused tress to fall on more than 4,000 homes, businesses, and other structures. While hurricane force winds often decline rapidly as a storm moves over land, Hurricane Fran sustained fairly high winds across the state. For example, wind gusts of up to 79 miles per hour were measured as far inland as the Raleigh-Durham airport. Figure 1.33, below, shows top wind speeds during Hurricane Fran.
 
wind speeds
Figure 1.33. Hurricane Fran's top wind speeds in mph.  Image courtesy of the Raleigh News and Observer

Although the center of the storm passed over the Cape Fear area, the high winds extended over much of the North Carolina coast and well inland.   The table below shows adjusted peak wind gusts and total rainfall for several inland weather stations.  The wind speeds were adjusted to the standard 33-foot anemometer height.
 

Inland Weather Station Adjusted Peak Wind Gust (mph)
Total Rainfall (in.)
Raleigh-Durham, NC
79
8.8
Greensboro, NC
50
3.91
Greenville, NC
100
not recorded
Elizabeth City, NC
55
not recorded
Norfolk, VA
46
.46
Danville, VA
63
not recorded
Richmond, VA
53
1.81
Lynchburg, VA
46
not recorded
Wintergreen, VA
41
10.27

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Rain

As the storm moved inland and weakened, the rain became the biggest problem.  Tropical moisture still associated with the system led to excessive rain across western Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.   Up to 15 inches of rain fell on Page County, Virginia in a 24-hour period, while other areas in the region received as much as 14 inches.  The precipitation amounts associated with Hurricane Fran led to numerous flood and flash flood warnings from South Carolina northward through the eastern Great Lakes.  Figure 1.34 illustrates the amount of rainfall produced from Hurricane Fran.
 
rain amounts
Figure 1.34. Rainfall totals from Hurricane Fran, September 5 to 8, 1996

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Power Outages

Hurricane Fran also caused extensive power outages in the region.  A polar orbiting satellite image shown in Figure 1.35 illustrates this point. The white represents areas with power while the red areas have lost power due to the hurricane.  The hurricane path is shown in yellow.  The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program - Operational Linescan System (DMSP-OLS) was used to obtain a "stable lights" background.  This was compared with a single night of DMSP-OLS data to determine the outages. Outages along the Outer Banks were associated with the strong winds and attributed to saltwater entering electrical equipment.
 
 
power outages from fran
Figure 1.35.  Power outages caused by Hurricane Fran. Red indicates areas without power.

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Federal Disaster Declarations

A federal disaster assistance declaration was issued by President Clinton immediately following Hurricane Fran for the counties hardest hit by the storm. These counties included Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Robeson, and Sampson.  As damage was assessed over the hurricane-stricken area, more counties were designated federal disaster assistance areas and would also be eligible for assistance ranging from temporary housing to low interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
 
Fran's Track
Figure 1.36.  Hurricane Fran Federal Disaster Declarations, by county

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