MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – Tonight marks 35 years since Hurricane Hugo devastated much of South Carolina. Hugo originated from a cluster of storms that moved off the African coast on Sept. 9, 1989. By the morning of Sept. 10, the system was classified as a tropical depression. Hugo gradually strengthened as it moved across the warm waters of the Atlantic and became a hurricane on Sept. 14. By the next day, Hugo strengthened into a rare category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds near 160 mph. Hugo was so powerful that a crew from the NOAA Hurricane Hunters nearly crashed into the Atlantic while investigating the hurricane.