 A tropical wave spawned a tropical depression over the northeastern Bahamas on August 25 . It moved to the north @-@ northwest and intensified into a tropical storm early on August 26 . Receiving the name Carol , the storm gradually turned to the north , and strengthened under generally favorable conditions . On August 26 , the Hurricane Hunters reported an eye , 23 miles ( 37 km ) in diameter despite Carol being a tropical storm . The next day , Carol strengthened to attain hurricane status while located about 345 miles ( 545 km ) east of Cape Canaveral , Florida . With a large anticyclone persisting across the southeastern United States , the motion of Carol turned to a northwest drift . The hurricane continued to strengthen , and Carol reached an initial peak intensity of 105 mph ( 165 km / h ) on August 28 . By that time , it was a small hurricane , and the radius of maximum winds was smaller than normal for its latitude and central pressure . After maintaining peak intensity for 30 hours and moving a distance of about 75 miles ( 120 km ) , Carol weakened slightly off the coast of Georgia . 
