Dennis brought tropical storm-force winds with gusts up to hurricane-force to the North Carolina coast. In Oregon Inlet, there were winds, while Cape Hatteras and Wrightsville Beach reported gusts between . A weather station reported wind gusts and a barometric pressure reading of . When Dennis made landfall on September 4, it brought tropical storm-force winds to much of eastern North Carolina, including winds at Cherry Point. Storm tides above normal were reported along the North Carolina coast. Because Dennis was a slow moving storm, it produced heavy rains across eastern North Carolina. Precipitation peaked at in Ocracoke, while rainfall between fell elsewhere in the eastern parts of the state.