Catawba County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 549 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #730 nationally and #19 in North Carolina.
549
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$116.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Catawba County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Catawba County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 7.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 183 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 76 events fall before 1990 and 473 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Catawba County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $67.4M 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 Catawba County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 284 | 0 | $2.3M | 78 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 177 | 0 | $10.0M | 4.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 0 | $67.4M | 0 | 2002–2024 |
| Lightning | 21 | 0 | $615K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Tornado | 20 | 1 | $33.5M | F4 | 1951–2024 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $2.4M | 0 | 2013–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $81K | 0 | 2000–2016 |
| Strong Wind | 2 | 0 | $0 | 48 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Catawba 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
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-05-05 | EF4 | 4 | 52 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-10-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-10-26 | EF2 | 0 | 11 | 2.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-10-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-16 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-08-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-08-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-01-09 | EF1 | 1 | 4 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 36.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.3 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Catawba County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2024 | Tornado | BANDY | 1 | 4 | $250K |
| Jul 13, 2011 | Lightning | HICKORY | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| May 5, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25.0M | |
| May 24, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| May 23, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | HICKORY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 26, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | CLAREMONT | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | Tornado | NE Hickory | 0 | 1 | $500K |
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 Lyle Creek in the Conover area indicated flash flooding developed along the stream after 6 to 10 inches of rain fell across the area in around three days, with 1 to 2 inches of that falling in less than six hours during the morning of the 27th. Water entered around a half dozen homes while inundating several streets between Section House Rd and County Home Rd.
A stream gauge on the Catawba River at Lookout Shoals Dam indicated flash flooding developed in the vicinity of the damn after widespread extremely heavy rainfall occurred in the upper part of the basin across the mountains and foothills over three days, with 6-9 inches falling across Catawba County. More than 100 structures were damaged on the Catawba County side of the river, especially in the Carpenters Cover community. Numerous roads were inundated and damaged as well. The gauge at Lookout Shoals reached its highest level since August 1940.
The tornado touched down initially in an industrial park near Penny Rd, where two large buildings sustained significant roof damage. Part of the exterior wall of one of the buildings collapsed. The tornado moved northeast, causing damage to shingles and siding at several homes on St Vincent Dr. Two outbuildings were thrown 30 to 40 feet and numerous trees were snapped off or uprooted in this area as well. The tornado continued to cause severe damage to trees and generally minor structural damage to homes and a church as it moved northeast toward Catawba St. The damage path continued in a east northeast direction from there, roughly paralleling highway 70. Major roof damage occurred to a food processing plant on highway 70 and several outbuildings were destroyed. Numerous headstones were blown down in a cemetery adjacent to the plant. Numerous trailers were then overturned and part of a building destroyed at a truck depot near Liberty Hill Church Rd. The tornado continued east northeast for about another half mile before lifting.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
163,573
Population (ACS)
$242K
Median home value
21
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 |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Hickory 142
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Catawba County, North Carolina?
549 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $116.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Catawba County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 284 recorded events — 51.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Catawba County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Catawba County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Catawba County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Catawba County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Catawba County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 81 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Catawba 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
- Caswell County 376
- Chatham County 450
- Carteret County 461
- Cherokee County 256
- Camden County 122
- Chowan County 146
Cite this page
“Catawba County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/catawba-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.