 A tropical wave spawned a tropical depression north of Hispaniola on September 20 . The depression remained offshore the island and moved west @-@ northwestward . By September 22 , it curved northeastward and became Tropical Storm Gracie . The storm then moved through The Bahamas , producing 8 @.@ 4 inches ( 210 mm ) on Mayaguana . Later on September 22 Gracie intensified into a hurricane . It deepened further to a Category 2 , on September 23 , before weakening later that day . Gracie then meandered slowly and erratically while northeast of The Bahamas , before curving northwestward on September 27 . It became a Category 2 hurricane again by September 28 . During the next 24 hours , Gracie deepened significantly and peaked as a 140 mph ( 220 km / h ) Category 4 hurricane . However , it weakened back to a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall on Edisto Island , South Carolina at 1625 UTC on September 29 . Gracie was the one of the strongest tropical cyclones to strike South Carolina until Hurricane Hugo in 1989 . It rapidly weakened inland , becoming extratropical on September 30 . 
