 The next storm , known as the San Ciriaco Hurricane , was first observed as a tropical storm to the southwest of Cape Verde on August 3 . It slowly strengthened while heading steadily west @-@ northwestward across the Atlantic Ocean . By late on August 5 , the storm strengthened into a hurricane . During the following 48 hours , it deepened further , reaching Category 4 hurricane status before crossing the Leeward Islands on August 7 . Later that day , the storm attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph ( 240 km / h ) and a minimum barometric pressure of 930 mbar ( 27 inHg ) . The storm weakened slightly before making landfall in Guayama , Puerto Rico with winds of 140 mph ( 220 km / h ) on August 8 . Several hours later , it emerged into the southwestern Atlantic as a Category 3 hurricane ; it would remain at that intensity for over 9 days . The system paralleled the north coast of Dominican Republic and then crossed the Bahamas , striking several islands , including Andros and Grand Bahama . After clearing the Bahamas , it began heading northward on August 14 , while centered east of Florida . Early on the following day , the storm re @-@ curved northeastward and appeared to be heading out to sea . However , by August 17 , it turned back to the northwest . At 0100 UTC on August 18 , the storm made landfall near Hatteras , North Carolina with 120 mph winds . 
