Anson County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 297 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,798 nationally and #58 in North Carolina.
297
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$12.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Anson County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Anson County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 4.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 105 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 24 events fall before 1990 and 273 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Anson County, North Carolina record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $6.6M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Anson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 186 | 1 | $341K | 75 | 1969–2025 |
| Hail | 53 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1958–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 39 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $6.6M | F2 | 1976–2022 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $5.6M | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2006 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $85K | 0 | 1997–2010 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
Anson County, North Carolina severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 12.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-24 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 30.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Anson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16, 2018 | Flash Flood | BURNSVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | GRAVELTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 15, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Feb 21, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| May 6, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Torrential rainfall of 15 to 20 inches caused widespread flash flooding across the county. The heavy rains caused flash flooding on several creeks. Numerous roads were closed throughout the county. George Wright Road and Mayesville Road were washed out due to flooding. Water rescues were conducted in the city of Wadesboro, including a submerged car with National Guard assets. A 52 year old male was traveling on Peru Road and entered a curve where the road was washed out. The vehicle stalled in the water and was swept away. The driver was able to get himself to safety, the passenger was swept away.
Heavy rainfall of 6 to 8 inches caused widespread flooding across the county. Combined with additional rainfall upstream, the rainfall caused all-time record major flooding along the Rocky River near Norwood. Flooding damaged approximately 24 structures throughout the county, resulting in over $5.6 million in property damage and and at least $30 million in crop damage. Numerous roads were flooded all throughout the county. The Rocky River overflowed the Highway 52 bridge and reached the base of the Plank Road bridge.
An EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of 110 mph touched down approximately 5 miles south of the initial tornado. While not continuous, the tornado caused a well defined path of extensive tree damage through heavily wooded areas beginning near McClendon Road and continued northeast for approximately 9 miles, before finally dissipating near Pitt Road. Downed trees damaged numerous homes, of which at least 6 to 7 homes were destroyed. Numerous outbuildings and vehicles were also severely damaged or destroyed. Several turkey houses in the area also sustained significant damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
22,289
Population (ACS)
$149K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | EM |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Anson County, North Carolina?
297 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $12.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Anson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 186 recorded events — 62.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Anson County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Anson County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Anson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Anson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Anson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 50 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Anson County, North Carolina severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Alleghany County 143
- Ashe County 283
- Alexander County 228
- Avery County 154
- Alamance County 414
- Beaufort County 397
Cite this page
“Anson County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/anson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.