Cabarrus County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 456 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,041 nationally and #37 in North Carolina.
456
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$16.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Cabarrus County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cabarrus County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 6.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 147 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 56 events fall before 1990 and 400 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cabarrus County, North Carolina record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $10.8M 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 Cabarrus County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 227 | 0 | $774K | 65 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 124 | 0 | $0 | 4.5 | 1959–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 42 | 0 | $10.8M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Flood | 33 | 1 | $43K | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $4.6M | F1 | 1950–2022 |
| Lightning | 9 | 0 | $545K | 0 | 1996–2016 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2003–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Cabarrus 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
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-02-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-03 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 2.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-12-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-05-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-03-10 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-08-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-07-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-02-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 23.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-04-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 56.4 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cabarrus County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2020 | Flood | ROCKY RIVER | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 23, 1997 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 4 | $3.0M |
| Mar 11, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Jul 26, 2016 | Lightning | HARRISBURG | 0 | 1 | $0 |
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 Rocky River above Irish Buffalo Creek indicated flooding developed, mainly along tributaries of the river, including Back Creek, Irish Buffalo Creek, and Dutch Buffalo Creek after 2 to 3.5 inches of rain fell across the basin in just a few hours. Multiple roads were inundated, including Stallings Rd, Poplar Tent Rd, Bowman-Berrier Rd, Mount Pleasant Rd, and Highway 200. An 82-year-old man drowned in his vehicle after driving around a barrier where Miami Church Road crossed Dutch Buffalo Creek.
Numerous roads were closed, mainly due to stream flooding from Harrisburg to Concord to Mount Pleasant. Several homes received significant damage due to floodwater, with Harrisburg being the hardest hit. Closed roads included highway 73 near Dutch Rd, Red Bird Cir, Morehead Rd from highway 29 to highway 49, Miami Church Rd, Stough Rd near Marlboro Dr, Bowman Barrier Rd, Zion Church Rd at Flowes Store Rd, Pharr Mill Rd at Sequoia Hills Dr, and a portion of highway 200.
This tornado moved into Cabarrus County from Mecklenburg County, south of Harrisburg and west of the Robinson Church Rd and Peach Orchard Rd intersection. The tornado affected several residential areas, damaging around 30 homes and destroying two homes which slid off their foundations. The tornado crossed Robinson Church Rd and Peach Orchard Rd, lifting just short of Hickory Ridge Rd.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
236,133
Population (ACS)
$355K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | EM |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Concord 106
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cabarrus County, North Carolina?
456 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $16.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cabarrus County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 227 recorded events — 49.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cabarrus County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cabarrus County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cabarrus County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cabarrus County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cabarrus County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 87 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cabarrus 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
- Burke County 588
- Caldwell County 374
- Buncombe County 486
- Camden County 122
- Brunswick County 532
- Carteret County 461
Cite this page
“Cabarrus County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/cabarrus-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.