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Cumberland County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 589 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #619 nationally and #12 in North Carolina.
589
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
199
Direct injuries
$239.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Cumberland County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cumberland County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 8.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 167 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 110 events fall before 1990 and 479 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cumberland County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $132.1M 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 Cumberland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 313 | 0 | $1.7M | 73 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 146 | 0 | $1.0M | 3.5 | 1966–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 80 | 0 | $3.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 23 | 5 | $132.1M | F4 | 1957–2014 |
| Lightning | 16 | 0 | $1.8M | 0 | 2000–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1998–2022 |
| Flood | 2 | 2 | $97.4M | 0 | 2016–2018 |
| Tropical Storm | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Cumberland 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
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 11 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-03-28 | EF4 | 4 | 395 | 40.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-04-08 | EF4 | 4 | 70 | 121.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-03-28 | EF3 | 12 | 101 | 40.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-16 | EF3 | 2 | 176 | 52.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-02-22 | EF3 | 2 | 60 | 85.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-18 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 77.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-16 | EF2 | 3 | 13 | 29.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-09-29 | EF2 | 3 | 12 | 85.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-02-11 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 12.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-05-19 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 19.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cumberland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 22, 1971 | Tornado | 2 | 60 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 29, 1984 | Tornado | 2 | 11 | $25.0M | |
| Oct 9, 2016 | Flood | (FBG)FT BRAGG | 2 | 0 | $62.1M |
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | FENIX | 1 | 85 | $100.0M |
| Aug 20, 2015 | Lightning | CLIFDALE | 0 | 18 | $0 |
| Apr 9, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $250K | |
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | CEDAR CREEK | 0 | 4 | $250K |
| Apr 1, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | FAYETTEVILLE ARPT | 0 | 3 | $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 15 to 20 inches caused widespread flooding across the county. Additional rainfall upstream resulted in all-time record major flooding along the Little River at Manchester and major flooding along the Cape Fear River at Fayetteville. Flooding damaged approximately 1,052 structures throughout the county, resulting in $35.3 million in property damage and and at least $30 million in crop damage. The Star Lite Motel along the Little River was partially washed away into the river. The Cape Fear River reached the base of both the Person Street and Grove Street bridges at its crest. Numerous roads were closed due to flooding and much of East Fayetteville was evacuated based on forecast river flooding.
KFBG METAR reported 66 mph wind gust. Several homes on Ft. Bragg property sustained roof damage. Simmons Army Airfield sustained a significant amount of damage to four helicopter hangars, government vehicles, and outdoor structures.
Lightning sparked a fire that resulted in damage to condominiums at Woodlake Village. Most of the fire damage was contained in the top two condominiums of a four unit building, with smoke and water damage in the lower two. There were no injuries.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
338,545
Population (ACS)
$199K
Median home value
23
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 |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cumberland County, North Carolina?
589 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $239.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cumberland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 313 recorded events — 53.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cumberland County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cumberland County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cumberland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cumberland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cumberland County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 89 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cumberland 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
- Craven County 553
- Currituck County 201
- Columbus County 568
- Dare County 326
- Cleveland County 521
- Davidson County 518
Cite this page
“Cumberland County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/cumberland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.