page_title: Timeline of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season
section_title: September
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season / Timeline of storms / September
caption_attribution_description: English: Hurricane Hortense near peak intensity northeast of the Bahamas on September 12, 1996
context_page_description: The 1996 Atlantic hurricane season had 13 named storms, of which 9 became hurricanes and 6 became major hurricanes. These major hurricanes were Bertha, Edouard, Fran, Hortense, Isidore, and Lili. This timeline documents all the storm formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, as well as dissipation. The timeline also includes information that was not operationally released, meaning that information from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center, such as information on a storm that was not operationally warned on, has been included. The season officially began on June 1, 1996, and ended on November 30 that same year.
  The season's most destructive storms were Hurricane Cesar, Hurricane Fran, and Hurricane Hortense. Hurricane Cesar was the deadliest storm of the season; it killed at least 51 people and caused severe damage in northern Colombia and southern Central America. Hurricane Fran caused $3.2 billion worth of damage in the United States, mostly in North Carolina, and killed 26 people.
context_section_description: September 1
  8:00 am EDT (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Edouard weakens into a Category 2 hurricane.
  2:00 pm AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Storm Gustav weakens into a tropical depression.
  8:00 pm EDT (0000 UTC September 2) – Hurricane Edouard weakens into a Category 1 hurricane.
  September 2
  2:00 am AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Gustav dissipates.
  8:00 pm EDT (0000 UTC September 3) – Hurricane Edouard weakens into a tropical storm.
  September 3
  2:00 am EDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Edouard becomes extratropical about 100 miles (160 km) south-southeast of the Maine/Canada.
  8:00 am AST (1200 UTC) – Tropical depression Eight forms about midway between the northern Leeward Islands and Senegal.
  2:00 pm EDT (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Fran reaches Category 2 intensity.
  September 4
  2:00 am EDT (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Fran reaches Category 3 intensity.
  September 5
  8:30 pm EDT (0030 UTC September 6) – Hurricane Fran makes landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina with 115 mph (185 km/h) winds.
  September 6
  2:00 am EDT (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Fran rapidly weakens to a Category 1 hurricane.
  8:00 am EDT (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Fran weakens into a tropical storm.
  2:00 pm EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Storm Fran weakens into a tropical depression.
  September 7
  2:00 am AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical depression Eight strengthens into Tropical Storm Hortense.
  September 8
  8:00 pm EDT (0000 UTC September 9) – Tropical Depression Fran becomes extratropical in southern Ontario.
  September 9
  2:00 am AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Hortense strengthens into Hurricane Hortense.
  September 10
  2:00 am EDT (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Hortense makes its first landfall near Guánica, Puerto Rico with 80 mph (130 km/h) winds.
  September 11
  8:00 am EDT (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Hortense reaches Category 2 intensity.
  8:00 pm EDT (0000 UTC September 12) – Hurricane Hortense reaches Category 3 intensity.
  September 12
  8:00 am EDT (1200 UTC – Hurricane Hortense reaches Category 4 intensity.
  September 13
  8:00 am EDT (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Hortense weakens into a Category 3 hurricane.
  8:00 pm EDT (0000 UTC September 14) – Hurricane Hortense weakens into a Category 2 hurricane.
  September 14
  2:00 pm AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Hortense weakens into a Category 1 hurricane.
  11:00 pm AST (0300 UTC September 15) – Hurricane Hortense makes its second landfall in Nova Scotia with 80 mph (130 km/h) winds.
  September 15
  8:00 am AST (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Hortense weakens into a tropical storm.
  2:00 pm AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Storm Hortense becomes extratropical just south of Newfoundland.
  September 24
  8:00 am AST (1200 UTC) – Tropical depression Nine forms about 150 miles (240 km) south of Santiago, Cape Verde.
  September 25
  2:00 am AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical depression Nine strengthens into Tropical Storm Isidore.
  September 26
  2:00 am AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Isidore strengthens into Hurricane Isidore.
  September 27
  2:00 am AST (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Isidore reaches Category 2 intensity.
  8:00 pm AST (0000 UTC September 28) – Hurricane Isidore reaches Category 3 intensity.
  September 28
  8:00 am AST (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Isidore weakens into a Category 2 hurricane.
  September 29
  2:00 am AST (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Isidore weakens into a Category 1 hurricane.
  8:00 pm AST (0000 UTC September 30) – Hurricane Isidore weakens into a tropical storm.
caption: Hurricane Hortense near peak intensity
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