Landfall area The Weather Bureau described the hurricane as having "unusual severity, though its path of destructiveness was comparatively narrow." There were few clear indications of the storm's approach up to the afternoon prior to the hurricane's landfall on July 13, with tides ahead of the storm only slightly exceeding predicted heights.
Warnings were first issued by the bureau on July 12 upon notice of low air pressures from vessels off the Southeastern U.S. Within these areas, ships were secured in their harbors and ships at sea were forced to divert to safety. A bulletin issued by the bureau described the storm as possessing "considerable intensity" near the South Carolina coast with peak winds of . The trestle of the railway connecting the island to the mainland sustained enough damage to halt service, but the hurricane's impacts on the island were otherwise light. The damage on the
Isle of Palms, South Carolina, was also minor. In
Charlotte, North Carolina, winds from the storm topped out at . The city of Charleston sustained damage from the storm and early reports indicated three deaths in the city and its environs, though the overall damage was described in media reports as not being particularly severe; Tides ultimately rose to higher than normal, placing parts of the Battery under up to of water. Five fires were also sparked during the morning of the hurricane's landfall. Moderate gales continued in Charleston until the night of July 14–15. Damage to shipping was reported in the Charleston area; some small boats sank at their wharves, though most took minor damage. A peak gust of was also recorded on the night of July 13–14, and rainfall accumulation associated with the hurricane reached . Telegraph and telephone service in Charleston was knocked out of commission with the storm's winds bringing down communications wires connecting the city with surrounding areas, including the loss of service to some 1,500 telephones; communications were reestablished after a few hours. Crop damage characterized most of the impacts between Charleston and the
Edisto River. Along the coast of South Carolina north of Charleston, the damage was more severe. An estimated 75–90 percent of crops were lost in the areas north of Charleston around McClellanville and the
Santee River; the Weather Bureau estimated that storm surge inundation resulted in millions of dollars in damage to standing timber and crops. Flooding rendered large tracts of crops a total loss around McClellanville. Within the town, the inundation was deep and left behind dead animals and
sedge. Poorly constructed homes were toppled and nearly all trees in McClellanville were uprooted. The destruction of barns led to high livestock casualties. In
Georgetown, South Carolina, damage was most marked to trees and shacks; the damage toll there was approximately $25,000. A yacht and several smaller ships at the city sank. Five people were presumed dead following the loss of a barge south of
Cape Romain; three bodies later washed ashore. The barge was accompanied by a second barge that also wrecked, though the crew survived. In total, the wreckage of the
Hector and the two barges—the only three incidents at sea—represented over $500,000 in damage. High winds fully or partially unroofed homes and felled fences and trees in and around
Sumter, South Carolina. One person was killed by a falling tree in
Lynchburg, South Carolina. Most of the damage in
Sumter County, South Carolina, was dealt to corn and tobacco crops beaten down by the wind; both crops were at critical junctures in their respective agricultural cycles. Cotton also sustained heavy losses. The
Sumter Daily Item, a local newspaper, was unable to publish a daily issue for the first time since its establishment. Downed trees and wires were numerous in the
Florence, South Carolina, area, including nearby
Dartlington where the hurricane was the most severe in years.
Great Flood of 1916 A prolific and highly damaging flood event—known locally as the Great Flood of 1916—commenced in the southern
Blue Ridge Mountains and
Piedmont as the storm moved and decayed inland. The floods inflicted $21 million in damage and claimed an unknown number of lives, though several dozens of fatalities are estimated to have occurred in the
Asheville, North Carolina, area; this scale of the devastation was unmatched by prior events. The Weather Bureau noted that the precise number of fatalities would never be known, but compiled a death toll of 80 people. The severity of the floods was supported by the atypical track taken by the hurricane
directly into the mountainous region and preceding heavy rainfall in the region caused by the remnants of a
hurricane earlier in the month. This antecedent rainfall saturated the fertile Appalachian soils, priming the region for intense
surface runoff and landslides.
Charlotte, North Carolina, recorded of rain in 24 hours, setting an all-time 24-hour rainfall record. Gusty winds and heavy rain began to affect the city on July 13, with gusts above damaging storefronts, uprooting trees, and tearing away awnings and signage. The rain continued for two more days, causing a flood that inundated homes and stores. However, it was surge of water from the excessive rains upstream along the Catawba River that ultimately brought the greatest impacts to the Charlotte area. Over of rain fell throughout the upper French Broad River watershed, with much of that rain falling within 24 hours. The river rapidly rose to an estimated crest of , accompanied by a flow rate nearly seven times the average annual peak. The nearby
Swannanoa River reached a crest of with a flow rate over six times the average annual peak. The French Broad River rose rapidly after July 16, and at Asheville the estimated crest was . While the banks of the river were ordinarily across at Asheville (associated with a flood stage, the floods bloated the river to about across.
Elsewhere The
freshet of the excessive North Carolina rains was primarily directed toward South Carolina- and
Tennessee-bound rivers while rivers draining into the Atlantic through North Carolina did not experience significant floods. The
New River also carried a surge of floodwaters into
Virginia; at
Radford, Virginia, the river crested at an estimated , some above flood stage, after washing away the flood gauge. == See also ==