Historical eventSeptember 51996

Hurricane Fran

Hurricane Fran makes landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina as a Category 3 storm with 115 mph sustained winds. Fran caused over $3 billion in damage and killed 27 people.

30th anniversary in 2026

Everything on September 5Original source

In context

When
Thursday, September 5 199630 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1990s
Anniversary
30th in 2026
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: 1996-08-23 – 1996-09-10.

Type: hurricane.

What came before

Part of: 1996 Atlantic hurricane season.

What happened

Impact Impact by area (Prelim.) Region Fatalities Damage Florida 0 None South Carolina 0 (2) $48.5 million North Carolina 13 (1) >$2.4 billion Virginia 5 $350 million Maryland 0 $100 million District of Columbia 0 $20 million West Virginia 2 $40 million Pennsylvania 2 (2) $80 million Ohio 0 $40 million Total 22 (5) ~$5 billion Throughout the eastern United States, Fran produced strong winds and heavy rainfall, leading to widespread flash flooding and wind damage.

Aftermath A sign put up by a resident of North Carolina, Topsail Island following the severe damage from Fran The Cape Fear River watershed was devastated by Fran. Severe water quality problems persisted for weeks. The Northeast Cape Fear river suffered a massive fish kill. Sewage treatment plant failures led to millions of gallons of raw and partially treated human sewage to flow into area rivers.

Hurricane Fran makes landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina as a Category 3 storm with 115 mph sustained winds. Fran caused over $3 billion in damage and killed 27 people.

September 5 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1986Pan Am Flight 73
  2. 1990Sri Lankan civil war
  3. 1991Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989
  4. 1996Hurricane Fran
  5. 2005Mandala Airlines Flight 091
  6. 2006Waziristan Accord
  7. 20122012 Afyonkarahisar arsenal explosion
  8. 20202020 California wildfires
  9. 2021Alpha Condé
  10. 20222022 Luding earthquake
  11. 2022Liz Truss

Also in 1996

  • May 11ValuJet Flight 592After the aircraft's departure from Miami, a fire started by improperly handled chemical oxygen generators in the cargo hold of Atlanta-b…
  • September 16Space Shuttle AtlantisSpace Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-79 to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
  • June 14ForeclosureAfter an 81-day standoff sparked by their refusal to be evicted from their foreclosed property in Jordan, Montana, the Christian Patriot…
  • August 14Killing of Solomos SolomouGreek Cypriot refugee Solomos Solomou is shot and killed by a Turkish security officer while trying to climb a flagpole in order to remov…
  • July 5Dolly (sheep)Dolly the sheep becomes the first mammal cloned from an adult cell.
  • November 5President of PakistanPakistani President Farooq Leghari dismisses the government of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and dissolves the National Assembly.
  • November 5Bill ClintonBill Clinton is reelected President of the United States.
  • November 21Humberto Vidal explosionHumberto Vidal explosion: Thirty-three people die when a Humberto Vidal shoe shop in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico explodes.

Everything we record for 1996 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Hurricane Fran”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/hurricane-fran-1996-september-5, accessed October 25, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Hurricane Fran happen?

September 5 1996 — 30 years ago, on a Thursday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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