Burke County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 588 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #622 nationally and #13 in North Carolina.
588
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
26
Direct injuries
$58.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Burke County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Burke County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 8.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 276 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 31 events fall before 1990 and 557 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $40.8M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Burke County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 270 | 0 | $800K | 75 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 211 | 0 | $1K | 4.5 | 1985–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 44 | 0 | $40.8M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 29 | 0 | $201K | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Lightning | 19 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $15.8M | F2 | 1974–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2005–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Burke 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
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-10-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-01-11 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-09-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 13.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Burke County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2011 | Lightning | MORGANTON | 0 | 9 | $0 |
| Jan 11, 2012 | Tornado | BURKE CHAPEL | 0 | 8 | $13.4M |
| Jul 20, 2019 | Lightning | CALVIN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 5, 2015 | Lightning | OAK HILL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | RUTHERFORD COLLEGE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 2012 | Lightning | GLEN ALPINE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 4, 2011 | Lightning | JOY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2005 | Lightning | MORGANTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
NWS storm survey found the path of a strong tornado that began at the Hickory Regional Airport. A hangar at the airport was destroyed and several aircraft flipped. The tornado moved northeast to Winkler Park, damaging part of L.P. Frans stadium before moving into Catawba County. Numerous trees were also blown down in this area.
Stream gauges along the Catawba River indicated flash flooding developed along the portion of the Catawba River in northeast Burke County (Rhodiss Dam and vicinity) after 7 to 13 inches of rain fell across upper much of Burke County over a three-day period. Multiple homes and some structures were inundated due to the river itself, and due to backwater effects into tributaries, including Silver Creek and Lower Creek.
NWS storm survey found a tornado damage path that began near the intersection of Conley Rd and Fisher Davis Rd. Several trees were snapped off or uprooted at this location, and a car port was detached and thrown from a home. Siding and flashing were also torn off this home. The tornado continued to produce intermittent damage as it moved north northeast, roughly paralleling Conley Rd. Part of the roof and some siding was blown off a home just south of Bennett Rd, with debris scattered several hundred yards away. Multiple trees were snapped off or uprooted and part of the roof was peeled off a home north of Bennett Rd. A car port was blown several hundred yards at this location and the doors were blown in on a garage, causing one wall of the garage to collapse. As the tornado continued north northeast, multiple trees were snapped off or uprooted, with trees falling on several homes. A horse trailer also was blown over and several homes received minor structural damage before the tornado lifted near the intersection of Conley Rd and Jeeter Carswell Rd.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
87,795
Population (ACS)
$185K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Mar 3, 2021 | Severe Storm | TROPICAL STORM ETA | DR |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Morganton 217
- Chesterfield 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Burke County, North Carolina?
588 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $58.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Burke County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 270 recorded events — 45.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Burke County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Burke County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Burke County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Burke County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Burke County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 70 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Burke 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
- Buncombe County 486
- Cabarrus County 456
- Brunswick County 532
- Caldwell County 374
- Bladen County 556
- Camden County 122
Cite this page
“Burke County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/burke-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.