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Gates County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 176 recorded events between 1984 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,578 nationally and #86 in North Carolina.
176
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$3.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Gates County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Gates County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 4.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 53 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 25 events fall before 1990 and 151 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Gates County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $2.7M 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 Gates County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 90 | 1 | $182K | 61 | 1985–2025 |
| Hail | 35 | 0 | $10K | 3.5 | 1985–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 21 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 1 | $140K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Tornado | 6 | 2 | $2.7M | F3 | 1984–2020 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1997–2008 |
| Tropical Storm | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Gates 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
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 3 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 | EF3 | 2 | 10 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-07-04 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-03-30 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 21.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 17.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-11-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-02-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-06-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-02-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Gates County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 1984 | Tornado | 2 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Oct 9, 2016 | Flash Flood | CORAPEAKE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | EASON XRDS | 1 | 0 | $2K |
| Jul 18, 1997 | Lightning | WILLEYTON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Initial straight line wind damage was noted along Highway 13 just north of the Chowan River. Wind damage continued east along Sandbank Road east of Highway 13. The EF-0 tornado touched down just east of Eure near Taylor Mill Road and Askew Road. The tornado intensity increased as it crossed Turner Road snapping numerous trees with one of the trees falling on a home. The tornado then crossed Highway 158 just west of Highway 37 snapping and uprooting numerous trees. A roof was blown off a home along Highway 158 and some chicken houses were damaged. The tornado lifted off the ground at Highway 37 just north of Highway 158. Straight line wind damage did continue with damage to metal building structures along Cotton Gin Road.
Small tornado skipped across an area about two and one-quarter miles long and 100-yards wide which straddled the Chowan/Gates County line. Path extended from about one-quarter mile WSW of Gliden east-northeastward to about one-half mile east of Joppa. Several barns damaged. Scattered trees were downed or snapped off above the ground. One shed was destroyed. Damaged occurred in a rural area dominated by farms.
Tornado tracked from southeast Hertford county into Gates county crossing the Chowan River while continuing to weaken. The final very minor damage was noted a couple of miles northwest of Hobbsville to the west of Route 32. Most of the damage in Gates county was to trees. Numerous trees were downed with many others snapped at the top. A mobile home roof was blown off and there was minor damage to some farm equipment and a couple other homes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,376
Population (ACS)
$171K
Median home value
22
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 Gates County, North Carolina?
176 events are on record between 1984 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $3.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Gates County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 90 recorded events — 51.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Gates County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Gates County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Gates County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Gates County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Gates County as very low risk, placing it in the 10 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Gates 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
- Gaston County 498
- Graham County 136
- Franklin County 379
- Granville County 297
- Forsyth County 590
- Greene County 213
Cite this page
“Gates County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/gates-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.