Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 season. To this day, it is the strongest and only category 4 hurricane to ever hit the North Carolina coast.HERE COMES HAZELHazel first formed as a tropical cyclone on Oct. 5, 1954, situated about 50 miles east of the island of Grenada in the Windward Islands. Hazel then moved over the Caribbean Sea through Oct. 8, before sharply turning northward under the influence of an upper-level low that was situated over the western Caribbean Sea. The next day, on Oct. 9, Hazel began to intensify as a powerful category 4 storm with maximum winds of 135 mph. Hazel then moved northeastward, crossing over Haiti on Oct. 11. Hazel killed between 400 and 1,000 people in Haiti, according to the National Weather Service. ►Track it! Track Hurricane Hazel's original path here.Hazel was, once again, over warm tropical waters and began to strengthen before passing over the Bahamas on Oct. 13. HAZEL WARNING The U.S. Weather Bureau, before it was the National Weather Service, issued a warning for the Carolinas on Oct. 14, 1954, around 11 a.m. At the time, forecasters thought the center of Hazel would remain offshore and weakened, but the storm had other plans. ►Get the latest on the tropics, hurricanes, tracks, and explore weather history, here. LANDFALL AND IMPACTHurricane Hazel made landfall on Oct. 15, 1954, in Brunswick County, North Carolina, near Calabash. Its landfall occurred during a full-moon high tide, which severely increased the amount of storm surge in places like Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle and Holden Beach. Oak Island was hit especially hard with a 17-foot storm surge. Only five of the 357 buildings were left standing in Oak Island.Some areas near landfall were battered by winds up to 150 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Winds up to 98 mph were measured in Wilmington. However, Wrightsville Beach clocked winds up to 125 mph and up to 140 mph at Oak Island. Fayetteville reported winds up to 110 mph and 90 mph at Raleigh-Durham Airport. ►NOAA predicts a very active hurricane season for 2024; find out more here. The official report from the Weather Bureau in Raleigh stated that as a result of Hazel, “All traces of civilization on the immediate waterfront between the NC/SC state line and cape fear were practically annihilated.” The December 1954 NOAA report on the hurricanes of the year states that, “Every pier in a distance of 170 miles of coastline was demolished."►Don't miss this! Check out the 1954 NOAA report on Hazel. The hurricane destroyed 15,000 homes and damaged another 39,000 in the state. Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here.DEATHS AND DAMAGESHazel was responsible for 95 deaths in the U.S., including 19 here in North Carolina. Its total damage in the Tar Heel state was $163 million — that’s a lot of money for 1954.Hazel remains the standard by which other North Carolina hurricanes are measured. ►Want more? Check out this video featuring an original 1954 news report from Paramount News with Gregory Abbott reporting about the disaster along the North Carolina coast and beyond.►From the archives: Daring rescue captured on camera as Hazel brings flooding by Warner Pathe News via Getty Images. ►Photo spotlight: These images capture the damage and destruction of the aftermath of Hurricane Hazel.EXPLORE HURRICANES More weather coverage: Weather Alerts | Closing and delays | Latest weather forecast | Post pictures to the uLocal North Carolina Facebook Group | Traffic information | Report closings and delays | SkyCams | Download the WXII12 News mobile app