Hurricane Diane (August 17/55)

Hurricane Diane was one of three hurricanes to hit North Carolina during the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season. Diane struck an area that had been hit by Hurricane Connie five days earlier. Diane was the costliest hurricane in United States history until it was surpassed by Hurricane Betsy in 1965, and was the sixth costliest U.S. hurricane of the 20th century.

When Diane brought heavy rain through New England, flooding was immediate and devastating. Compounding the problem was the fact that Diane was, and still remains, the wettest tropical cyclone on record for the Northeast.

An estimated 184–200 people died because of the direct effects of Diane (on top of the 25 killed by Connie).

The name Diane was later retired due to this storm, and will never be used for an Atlantic hurricane again. Hurricane Diana wiped out a small mountain Pennsylvania town called Peale. It no longer exists. Peale was a company mining town, with many stores, churches and a post office.

[Excerpts obtained from Wikipedia]