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Chatham County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 450 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 69.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,065 nationally and #39 in North Carolina.
450
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$9.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Chatham County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chatham County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 127 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 406 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Chatham County, North Carolina record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $6.3M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chatham County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 312 | 0 | $1.2M | 60 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 82 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1975–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 35 | 3 | $1.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $540K | F2 | 1965–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2012–2012 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $6.3M | 0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
Chatham 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
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-16 | EF3 | 6 | 103 | 65.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 26.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-10-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-07-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-07-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-08-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chatham County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 2025 | Flash Flood | FARRINGTON | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2025 | Flash Flood | FARRINGTON | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Mar 8, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | HARPERS XRDS | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Torrential rainfall of 10 to 15 inches caused widespread flooding across the county. Additional rainfall upstream caused major flooding along the Deep River near Moncure and along the Haw River near Bynum. Flooding damaged approximately 107 structures throughout the county, destroying 3, resulting in approximately $6.33 million in property damage and and at least $20 million in crop damage. Numerous roads were closed due to flooding. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded as well.
Emergency management reported 4 homes were damaged by falling trees in and to the north of Pittsboro. Numerous trees were blown down in a corridor from Pittsboro north and east to Ferrington. Several cars were damaged by falling trees with one person trapped in a vehicle just north of Pittsboro on NC Highway 87. Wind speeds were estimated to be near 70 mph.
A tornado briefly touched down in the Siler City area. Damage consisted of numerous snapped and uprooted trees, downed power poles and power lines, and damage to the roof covering of several homes. Monetary damages were estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
80,151
Population (ACS)
$446K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 11, 2025 | Tropical Depression | TROPICAL DEPRESSION CHANTAL | 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chatham County, North Carolina?
450 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $9.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chatham County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 312 recorded events — 69.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chatham County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Chatham County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chatham County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chatham County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chatham County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 67 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chatham 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
- Catawba County 549
- Cherokee County 256
- Caswell County 376
- Chowan County 146
- Carteret County 461
- Clay County 123
Cite this page
“Chatham County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/chatham-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.