Historical record — not a forecast
Wrightsville Beach
Wrightsville Beach, NC has had 61 storms pass within 75 km since 1851, the strongest being Helene (1958, Category 4 Hurricane).
Location 01
Wrightsville Beach
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The historical record
Storm history
61 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Wrightsville Beach since 1851, based on NOAA’s HURDAT2 best-track data (1851-2025). Atlantic storm counts before the mid-20th century undercount storms that stayed at sea; aircraft reconnaissance began in the 1940s and systematic satellite coverage in 1966. Storms that struck populated coastline are the most reliably recorded part of the record.
By storm category
- Tropical Depression
- 6
- Tropical Storm
- 34
- Category 1 Hurricane
- 9
- Category 2 Hurricane
- 9
- Category 3 Hurricane
- 1
- Category 4 Hurricane
- 2
By decade
- 1850s
- 3
- 1860s
- 2
- 1870s
- 3
- 1880s
- 5
- 1890s
- 2
- 1900s
- 4
- 1910s
- 2
- 1920s
- 2
- 1940s
- 4
- 1950s
- 4
- 1960s
- 6
- 1970s
- 3
- 1980s
- 3
- 1990s
- 6
- 2000s
- 6
- 2010s
- 4
- 2020s
- 2
Strongest & most recent
- Strongest on record
- Helene (1958, Category 4 Hurricane, 120 kt) passed within 39.3 km in 1958
- Most recent
- Isaias (2020, Category 1 Hurricane, 80 kt) passed within 73.4 km in 2020
- Coordinates
- 34.21299, -77.79792
- Basin
- atlantic
Notable storms on record
- Helene (1958) — Category 4 Hurricane, 120 kt, passed within 39.3 km on 1958-09-27
- Diana (1984) — Category 4 Hurricane, 115 kt, passed within 36.0 km on 1984-09-12
- Fran (1996) — Category 3 Hurricane, 100 kt, passed within 39.5 km on 1996-09-06
- Bonnie (1998) — Category 2 Hurricane, 95 kt, passed within 22.7 km on 1998-08-27
- Floyd (1999) — Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 49.6 km on 1999-09-16
- Bertha (1996) — Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 9.7 km on 1996-07-12
- Donna (1960) — Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 62.8 km on 1960-09-12
- Unnamed storm (1883) — Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 59.1 km on 1883-09-11
Historical return intervals
These are plain historical averages — years of record divided by how many times a storm of that strength has passed within 75 km. They are not a probability or a forecast of a future storm; they describe how often storms of each strength have occurred in the past.
- Tropical storm strength or greater
- on average every 3.2 years, historically
- Hurricane strength
- on average every 8.3 years, historically
- Major hurricane (Cat 3+)
- on average every 58.3 years, historically
How many hurricanes and storms have hit near Wrightsville Beach?
Since 1851, 61 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Wrightsville Beach, NC, based on NOAA HURDAT2 best-track data.
What was the strongest storm to affect Wrightsville Beach?
Helene (1958, Category 4 Hurricane, 120 kt) passed within 39.3 km in 1958, reaching Category 4 Hurricane strength.
Is this a hurricane forecast for Wrightsville Beach?
No. This page presents only historical, already-occurred storm data. It contains no forecast, prediction, or safety or evacuation guidance. Return-interval figures above are historical averages, not a probability of a future storm. See our methodology.
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