Hurricane Ophelia formed as a tropical depression in the Bahamas on September 6 and almost immediately made landfall on Grand Bahama. It became a tropical storm off the coast of Florida before strengthening into a large Category 1 storm and raking a long stretch of the southern North Carolina coast with heavy winds and storm surge on September 12 and September 13. The hurricane's eye never made landfall and moved back out to sea before becoming extratropical on September 17 and striking Atlantic Canada.