Born far out in the Atlantic, Floyd generated winds topping 135 knots as it advanced upon the southeast U.S. coast September 13, 1999. Floyd made landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina, on September 16 with sustained winds near 110 mph. The water dumped by Floyd was devastating. Rainfall totaled a record 15 to 20 inches. Storm surges reached 10 feet in coastal North Carolina. This rain fell on lands still saturated from Hurricane Dennis less than two weeks earlier. A month later, Hurricane Irene dumped another 5-10 inches of new rain on some of the areas hit hardest by Floyd.

— www.nsc.org