 The first documented hurricane in 1850 originated in the Caribbean Sea , where it wrecked dozens of ships along the Windward Islands on July 11 and 12 . On July 18 , the storm struck North Carolina from the south as a hurricane of at least Category 1 intensity ( on the modern @-@ day Saffir – Simpson hurricane wind scale ) and proceeded northward . Although the exact point of landfall is unknown , the system is believed to have moved ashore south of Cape Hatteras . Ships just off the state 's coast battled three days of hurricane conditions from July 15 to July 18 . Onshore , " great damage " occurred from Wilmington to Elizabeth City . 
