Hurricane Fran caused extensive damage in the United States in early September 1996. The sixth named storm, fifth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season, Fran developed from a tropical wave near Cape Verde on August 23. Due to nearby Hurricane Edouard, the depression remained disorganized as it tracked westward, though it eventually intensified into Tropical Storm Fran on August 27. While heading west-northwestward, Fran steadily strengthened into a hurricane on August 29, but weakened back to a tropical storm on the following day. On August 31, Fran quickly re-intensified into a hurricane. By September 2, Fran began to parallel the islands of the Bahamas and slowly curved north-northwestward. Early on September 5, Fran peaked as a 120 mph (195 km/h) Category 3 hurricane. Thereafter, Fran weakened slightly, before it made landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina during the evening of September 5. The storm rapidly weakened inland and was only a tropical depression the next morning. Eventually, Fran curved east-northeastward and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over Ontario early on September 9. Category 3 hurricane: peak winds of 120 mph (105 knots), lowest pressure 946 mb. August 23 – September 10, 1996. Landfall: September 6 at 115 mph, 33.9°N 78.0°W. Accumulated cyclone energy: 22.9. Wiki link Track: NOAA National Hurricane Center, HURDAT2 best track AL061996 (public domain).