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Martin; Pitt; Washington; Tyrrell; Mainland Dare; Greene; Beaufort; Mainland Hyde; Duplin; Lenoir; Jones; Pamlico; Northern Craven; Southern Craven; Inland Onslow
Beaufort County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 397 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,267 nationally and #45 in North Carolina.
397
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
87
Direct injuries
$24.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Beaufort County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Beaufort County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 5.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 129 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 32 events fall before 1990 and 365 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Beaufort County, North Carolina record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $23.2M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Beaufort County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 184 | 2 | $250K | 74 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 137 | 0 | $152K | 2.75 | 1973–2025 |
| Tornado | 38 | 1 | $23.2M | F2 | 1954–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $675K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2014 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $102K | 0 | 2001–2002 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Beaufort 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
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-04-25 | EF3 | 0 | 16 | 21.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-27 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-10-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-10-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 32.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 44.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-05-17 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 8.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-01-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Beaufort County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | MC CONNELL | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 1973 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jul 1, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | WASHINGTON ARPT | 0 | 40 | $0 |
| Mar 14, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 25, 2014 | Tornado | CHOCOWINITY | 0 | 16 | $15.0M |
| Apr 7, 2014 | Tornado | PANTEGO | 0 | 5 | $1.0M |
| May 18, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 5, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | BLOUNTS CREEK STATIO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An F2 tornado touched down near Pantego in the Swamp Road area. The tornado destroyed one house, a mobile home as well as a hog farm. Most of the dollar damage occurred to the farm with the destruction of hog houses and heavy equipment.
The tornado initially touched down near Highway 264 north of Belhaven. It began as an EF1 and tracked east-northeast toward Beech Ridge Road. Along Highway 264 there was damage to a few structures with numerous trees downed or snapped. One vehicle was lifted and tossed about 50 yards with 2 injuries. ||The tornado strengthened to a high end EF2 with winds estimated at 130 mph as it moved through the Beech Ridge Road area near Pantego. Several homes, out buildings and sheds were damaged or destroyed. A double wide mobile home was wiped off its foundation and destroyed despite being strapped down. Large numbers of trees were snapped, many at their base. ||The tornado then continued to produce EF2 damage on Ross Farm. A roof was blown off a house, an out building destroyed and large farm equipment moved. The tornado then dissipated in a field.
Torrential rain moved across most of Beaufort County during the evening of September 30th as the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole moved north across the region. This rain fell on saturated ground from very heavy rain the previous few days. Significant flash flooding developed especially for areas around Washington. Many roads were flooded and impassable. Several homes and businesses were also flooded. Many acres of crops were destroyed by the flood waters.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
44,499
Population (ACS)
$193K
Median home value
32
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 |
| Mar 3, 2021 | Severe Storm | TROPICAL STORM ETA | DR |
| Oct 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Beaufort County, North Carolina?
397 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $24.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Beaufort County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 184 recorded events — 46.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Beaufort County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Beaufort County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Beaufort County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Beaufort County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Beaufort County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Beaufort 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
- Avery County 154
- Bertie County 221
- Ashe County 283
- Bladen County 556
- Anson County 297
- Brunswick County 532
Cite this page
“Beaufort County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/beaufort-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.