Dennis then encountered strong wind shear, causing the storm to weaken to a tropical depression on August 11.

After crossing the Windward Islands on August 12, Dennis degenerated into a tropical wave several hours later over the Caribbean Sea.

Dennis continued to intensify and made landfall near Emerald Isle, North Carolina, but moved east-northeastward and soon tracked offshore.

Satellite imagery indicated that a well-organized tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic Ocean from the west coast of Africa on August 5.

The wave headed westward and organized further,[1] developing into a tropical depression at 06:00 UTC on August 7 while situated about 300 mi (480 km) south-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.

[3] The cyclone strengthened slightly further, reaching winds of 45 mph (75 km/h);[2] wind shear prevented additional deepening and eventually caused Dennis to weaken to a tropical depression while approaching the Lesser Antilles on August 11[3] Early on August 12, the system crossed through the Windward Islands with a poorly-defined circulation, making landfall in or passing close to Martinique.

Dennis continued weakening after entering the Caribbean Sea,[2] degenerating back into a tropical wave at 00:00 UTC on August 13 while located about 170 mi (270 km) south of Dominican Republic.

Around 00:00 UTC the following day, the depression re-intensified into a tropical storm and made landfall in Cuba near Playa Girón in Matanzas Province.

[2] While crossing the Straits of Florida, deep convection associated with the cyclone attempted to become concentrated near the center and develop an eyewall.

The cyclone moved slowly north-northeastward across Florida until emerging into the Atlantic just north of Cape Canaveral early on August 19.

[2] However, Dennis soon entered a region of increasingly colder sea surface temperatures,[1] weakening into a tropical storm about six hours later.

[2] The system also began losing tropical characteristics, transitioning into an extratropical cyclone about 425 mi (685 km) south of Sable Island at 00:00 UTC on August 22.

[9] The storm resulted in a postponement of a second spraying to combat the spread of Mediterranean fruit flies in the Tampa Bay Area.

[10] About 40,000 tourists fled Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, including about 500 people from a campground, causing a loss of about $2 million to tourism.

Damage to the former reached about $5.1 million, with production losses occurring to 4,500 acres (1,800 ha) of calabaza, cassava, eddoe, and sweet potatoes.

Approximately 650 acres (260 ha) of avocado trees were destroyed, causing a loss of more than 100,000 boxes, with the fruit suffering over $3.5 million in damage.

The storm spawned two tornadoes, one on Plantation Key and the other in northern Miami-Dade County, though both resulted in only minor damage.

[18] One death occurred in the area after a man attempted to drive in high water, but his car swerved and crashed into a palm tree.

[19] In response to the flooding, Governor of Florida Bob Graham signed an executive order authorizing 10 high-axle combat vehicles and 20 National Guardsmen to assist in the evacuation of residents south of Miami.

[16] On September 24, over a month after Dennis dropped heavy rainfall in far southeastern Florida, Governor Graham issued a disaster declaration for a 7.5 sq mi (19 km2) area just outside the eastern Everglades, where standing water remained.