was the second-longest lasting Atlantic hurricane
on record. The eighth tropical cyclone
and fifth hurricane of the 1971 Atlantic hurricane season
, Ginger spent 27.25 days as a tropical cyclone, lasting from September 6 to October 3. The storm formed northeast of the Bahamas, and for the first nine days of its duration tracked generally eastward or northeastward while gradually strengthening to peak winds of 110 mph (175 km/h). On September 14, Ginger slowed and turned to a general westward track, passing near Bermuda
on September 23. There, the hurricane produced gusty winds and high waves, but no damage.
While over the western Atlantic Ocean
, Ginger became the last target of Project Stormfury
, which sought to weaken hurricanes by depositing silver iodide
into tropical cyclone rainbands
. Ginger ultimately struck North Carolina
on September 30 as a minimal hurricane, lashing the coastline with gusty winds that caused power outages across the region. Heavy rainfall flooded towns and left severe crop damage, with 3 million bushels
of corn and 1 million bushels of soybean
lost. Damage in the state was estimated at $10 million (1971 USD
, $ USD). Further north, moderate precipitation and winds spread through the Mid-Atlantic states
, although no significant damage was reported outside of North Carolina.
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