Hurricane Diane was one of three hurricanes to hit North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 during the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season

1955 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1955 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 15, 1955, and lasted until November 15, 1955. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The 1955 season was active, with twelve tropical storms forming.Three...

, striking an area that had been hit by Hurricane Connie

Hurricane Connie

Hurricane Connie was the first in a series of hurricanes to strike North Carolina during the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season. Connie struck as a Category 1, causing major flooding and inflicting extensive damage to the Outer Banks and inland to Raleigh....

 five days earlier. Diane's winds rapidly decreased so much that it was no longer classified even as a tropical storm, but Diane added six to sixteen inches of rain on areas already sodden from Connie, leading to extensive flooding in northern Virginia, Maryland, eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, southern New York, and southern New England.