From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hurricane Fran
Hurricane
|
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Hurricane Fran at peak intensity on September 4, nearing landfall
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Formed
| August 23, 1996
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Dissipated
| September 8, 1996
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|
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Highest winds
| 1-minute sustained
:
195 km/h (120 mph)
|
---|
Lowest pressure
| 946
hPa
(
mbar
); 27.94
inHg
|
---|
|
|
|
Fatalities
| 22 direct, 5 indirect
|
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Damage
| $3.2 billion (1996
USD
)
|
---|
Areas affected
| South Carolina
,
North Carolina
,
Virginia
,
West Virginia
,
Maryland
,
Pennsylvania
,
Toronto
|
---|
|
Part of the
1996 Atlantic hurricane season
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|
Hurricane Fran
was a hurricane during the
1996 Atlantic hurricane season
. This storm caused over
$
3 billion in damage. It killed 20-30 people. Fran struck North Carolina as a strong Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 miles per hour (185 km/h). The name
Fran
was later retired and replaced by
Fay
for the 2002 Atlantic season.
Hurricane Fran started from a tropical wave that moved off the western coast of Africa, entering the Atlantic Ocean, on August 22. The low pressure area became a tropical depression on August 23. Little changed for several days. By August 26, the storm had been disorganized.
On August 27, the storm grew into a tropical storm and was named Fran. On August 29, the storm intensified into a category 1 hurricane. The interaction with
Hurricane Edouard
led to weakening and the storm took a northwestward direction. When Edouard was gone, the storm grew into a category 1 hurricane again.
Fran grew in early September. By September 3, it the winds were at 90 miles per hour (140 km/h). The system started to develop an eye. By September 5, winds were at 120 mph (195 km/h) and its pressure was 946 mbar.
On September 6, the storm hit
North Carolina
with winds of 115 miles per hour (185 km/h). Once on land, the storm rapidly weakened. It moved through
Virginia
. It died on September 8.
A Hurricane Watch was issued in the Lesser Antilles in late August. As Fran moved away, the watch was ended.