Hugo was the most powerful hurricane to strike the United States in twenty years. Not since hurricane Camille in 1969 had a storm of such intensity made landfall in the United States. Hugo blasted the South Carolina coast with sustained winds of over 130 mph. In Charleston, the highest sustained wind was estimated at 138 mph. A ship anchored in the Sampit River five miles west of Georgetown reported a sustained wind speed of 120 mph. One hundred miles inland, gusts of 99 mph were reported at Columbia and 109 mph at Sumter. At Folly Beach, on the weaker, southern side of the storm, sustained winds of 85 mph were reported.
Hugo downed trees and power lines north of Charlotte, NC. as well.