Ashe County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 283 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 31.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,878 nationally and #61 in North Carolina.
283
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$117.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Ashe County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ashe County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 4.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 110 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 280 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ashe County, North Carolina record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $117.2M 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 Ashe County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 88 | 0 | $8K | 2 | 1988–2022 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 76 | 0 | $282K | 60 | 1959–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 70 | 1 | $117.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 22 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2024 |
| Flood | 17 | 0 | $199K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Debris Flow | 6 | 0 | $101K | 0 | 2014–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2011–2013 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $10K | EF0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
Ashe 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
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-10-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ashe County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | Flash Flood | GREEN VLY | 1 | 0 | $116.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several roads and culverts roads were damaged in flash flooding across Ashe County. A culvert collapsed on Frank Dillard Road causing a truck to fall into a large hole. The shoulder of the road at the intersection of Cranberry Springs Road and Liberty Grove Church Road was damaged.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down by thunderstorm winds across portions of Ashe County. An estimated 50 power poles were snapped in the county by thunderstorm winds. At the peak of the storm, more than 18,000 BREMCO customers were without power. There were 40 calls to Ashe County 911 about debris, trees and power lines blown down.
The South Fork of the New River near Jefferson (JFRN7) crested at 9.43 feet (Minor flood stage is 8 ft.) in the early morning of the 17th. Several roads are affected at this stage. This was the highest stage since January 31, 2013 at this gage. The discharge of 9460 cfs was approximately a 5 to 10-year event (0.2 to 0.1 annual chance) per USGS. Several roads close to the New River were flooded and damaged according to NC DOT officials.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
26,950
Population (ACS)
$243K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 28, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | EM |
| Sep 8, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM FRED | DR |
| Mar 3, 2021 | Severe Storm | TROPICAL STORM ETA | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ashe County, North Carolina?
283 events are on record between 1959 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $117.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ashe County?
Hail, with 88 recorded events — 31.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ashe County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 0 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ashe County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ashe County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ashe County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ashe County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 67 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ashe 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
- Anson County 297
- Avery County 154
- Alleghany County 143
- Beaufort County 397
- Alexander County 228
- Bertie County 221
Cite this page
“Ashe County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/ashe-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.