Avery County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 154 recorded events between 1965 and 2024. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 38.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,684 nationally and #88 in North Carolina.
154
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$46.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Avery County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Avery County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 2.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 54 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 147 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Avery County, North Carolina record is flash flood, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $45.8M 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 Avery County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 59 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1971–2023 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 52 | 0 | $16K | 60 | 1985–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 31 | 6 | $45.8M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2001–2016 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $25K | F2 | 1965–2023 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2013–2024 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Avery 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
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Avery County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Flash Flood | AVERY CO ARPT | 6 | 0 | $40.0M |
| Aug 13, 2021 | Lightning | LINVILLE | 0 | 7 | $0 |
| Jul 2, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | GRAGG | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 2, 2023 | Lightning | BALM | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 9, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A stream gauge on the North Toe River in Newland indicated devastating flash flooding developed along the stream in Newland and vicinity as rainfall rates intensified during the evening of the 26th. The heaviest rainfall and most significant flooding occurred toward sunrise, as tropical rainbands near the center of Helene swept across the area. Numerous homes and businesses in downtown Newland were inundated and damaged, with several structures swept away. Other areas of flash flooding developed along the Linville River and various tributaries throughout the southern and eastern part of the county. Dozens of landslides occurred across the area, mainly in the North Toe basin. Some of the large slides damaged or destroyed multiple structures. Three occupants of these homes were killed. Two additional fatalities were attributed to flooding. Three-day rainfall generally ranged from 10-15 inches, with locally higher amounts.
A couple of stream gauges on the North Toe River in central and western Avery County indicated flash flooding developed along the river after 4 to 7 inches of rain fell near the headwaters in around 24 hours, with much of that falling in just a few hours during the afternoon of the 17th. In addition to multiple roads that were flooded along the river from Newland to the Frank community, several buildings were also inundated in downtown Newland between Pineola St and Linville St.
Despite no rain having fallen for several hours, A debris flow caused a large section of highway 194 to collapse, closing the three lane highway indefinitely. The event occurred around 11 pm at night just north of the intersection with Blevin Creek Road about 1 miles southeast of Elk Park. Two mobile homes and several vehicles were destroyed by the debris flow, though the occupants of the homes escaped unharmed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,680
Population (ACS)
$266K
Median home value
22
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 |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Avery County, North Carolina?
154 events are on record between 1965 and 2024, causing 6 direct deaths and $46.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Avery County?
Hail, with 59 recorded events — 38.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Avery County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Avery County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Avery County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Avery County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Avery County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 47 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Avery 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
- Ashe County 283
- Beaufort County 397
- Anson County 297
- Bertie County 221
- Alleghany County 143
- Bladen County 556
Cite this page
“Avery County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/avery-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.