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Columbus County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 568 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #667 nationally and #15 in North Carolina.
568
Recorded events
11
Direct deaths
53
Direct injuries
$46.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Columbus County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Columbus County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 176 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 63 events fall before 1990 and 505 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Columbus County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 8 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $32.8M 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 Columbus County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 271 | 0 | $6.1M | 75 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 179 | 0 | $190K | 2.75 | 1966–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 44 | 1 | $32.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 32 | 8 | $6.6M | F3 | 1950–2024 |
| Lightning | 16 | 2 | $398K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 15 | 0 | $26K | 0 | 2011–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $170K | 0 | 2000–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2025 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
Columbus 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
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-11-16 | EF3 | 8 | 20 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-10-09 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-11-07 | EF2 | 0 | 122 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-12-01 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 14.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-10-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 54.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-10-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Columbus County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 16, 2006 | Tornado | RIEGELWOOD | 8 | 20 | $500K |
| Jul 25, 1999 | Lightning | CHADBOURN | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 15, 1999 | Flash Flood | BOLTON | 1 | 1 | $30.0M |
| Nov 7, 1995 | Tornado | Brunswick | 0 | 12 | $600K |
| May 4, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $5.0M | |
| Mar 3, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Mar 21, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Oct 9, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado touched down among manufactured homes just north of Old Lake Road and tracked across an area of more substantial homes and businesses along NC Highway 87. There were 13 homes (mobile and brick) destroyed and more than two dozen damaged. Damage was rated as F3 due to construction of structures that were damaged and destroyed – if structures were better constructed the damage may have been rated higher. The wind speed was estimated to be around 200 mph. As the tornado tracked north of NC Highway 87 toward the county line, the tree damage was rated as F1.
Heavy rains from Hurricane Floyd accumulated around 12 inches in the western part and near 20 inches in the eastern part of the county, causing the worst flooding in county history. High water closed many roads, including newly completed U.S. 74/76, and inundated low-lying areas. Water in downtown Whiteville was 5 feet deep, necessitating rescues by boat. Lake Waccamaw rose to the highest level ever, covering piers and flooding homes. Downstream, 600 were evacuated from Crusoe Island.
Strong thunderstorm winds overturned two mobile homes. One child, one teenager and two adults were injured. $1.7 million damage to homes and eleven businesses. Numerous power lines were downed. Several liquid propane gas tanks were damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
50,140
Population (ACS)
$146K
Median home value
29
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 |
| Oct 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | DR |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Whiteville 145
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Columbus County, North Carolina?
568 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 11 direct deaths and $46.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Columbus County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 271 recorded events — 47.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Columbus County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Columbus County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Columbus County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Columbus County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Columbus County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 87 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Columbus 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
- Cleveland County 521
- Craven County 553
- Clay County 123
- Cumberland County 589
- Chowan County 146
- Currituck County 201
Cite this page
“Columbus County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/columbus-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.