over $1 billion in damage (2020 USD) and 19 deaths. Most storms affected the state in September, though cyclones lashed the state between May and October. 1980–Present The period from 1980 to the present encompasses 120 tropical or subtropical cyclones that affected the state. Collectively, cyclones in North Carolina during the time period resulted in over $10 billion in damage (2010 USD), primarily from hurricanes Fran and Floyd. Additionally, tropical cyclones in North Carolina were responsible for 77 direct fatalities and at least 44 indirect casualties during the period. Eight cyclones affected the state in the 1985 season, which was the year with the most tropical cyclones striking the state. Every year included at least one tropical cyclone affecting the state. The strongest hurricane to hit the state during the time period was Hurricane Fran in 1996, which struck near Wilmington as a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale; Hurricane Emily in 1993 brushed the Outer Banks also as a Category 3 hurricane. Onslow County was hit on August 27, 1998, by category two Hurricane Bonnie causing heavy rains, flooding, an estimated $480 mil damage and a few deaths. The deadliest hurricane during the period was Hurricane Floyd in 1999, which caused 35 fatalities and record–breaking flooding in the eastern portion of the state. Hurricane Irene hit the Outer Banks on August 27, 2011, as a Category 1, making it the first of its kind to make landfall since Hurricane Ike in 2008. In 2018, Hurricane Florence made landfall in Wrightsville Beach as a Category 1 storm, causing catastrophic flooding across the state. Dropping almost three feet of rain, it is North Carolina's wettest hurricane. In 2019, Hurricane Dorian made landfall on Cape Hatteras as a Category 2 storm, causing large storm surges to sweep across some islands, particularly Ocracoke. Deadly storms The table lists hurricanes by death tolls of over 20 fatalities. Direct deaths are those that are directly caused by the storm passage, such as drownings or deaths from being struck by windblown objects. Indirect deaths, which are not included in the toll of Hurricane Floyd, are those that are related to the storm, but not directly from its storm effects. Due to lack of data, many early hurricanes have overall death tolls that do not specify indirect or direct. See also Climate of North Carolina Geography of North Carolina Hazard mitigation in the Outer Banks