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Halifax County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 363 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,417 nationally and #52 in North Carolina.
363
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$80.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Halifax County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Halifax County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 4.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 109 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 334 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Halifax County, North Carolina record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $73.5M 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 Halifax County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 233 | 0 | $1.0M | 70 | 1966–2026 |
| Hail | 67 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1984–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 40 | 2 | $550K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $5.0M | F4 | 1952–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $73.5M | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Halifax 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
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-11-27 | EF4 | 4 | 154 | 83.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-07-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-04-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Halifax County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 28, 1988 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 3, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 8, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | RINGWOOD | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 1998 | Lightning | ROANOKE RAPIDS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rainfall of 5 to 8 inches caused widespread flash flooding across the county. Additional heavy rainfall upstream caused moderate flooding along Fishing Creek near Enfield. Flooding damaged approximately 311 structures throughout the county, resulting in $73.5 million in property damage. Numerous streets and roads were reported flooded, with several washouts reported.
A tornado touched down southwest of Roanoke Rapids near Rhea Smith Road. At Sam Powell Dam Road a house was shifted off of its foundation. The tornado then entered Roanoke Rapids as an EF1. Numerous hardwood trees were blown down. Numerous cars and homes were damaged at Rosemary Street. As the tornado continued into downtown, an industrial building and Sonic restaurant were damaged. The tornado reached EF2 intensity at this point. The worst damage occurred at 10th Street. In total, 90 structures were damaged. Of those 90, 15 homes and businesses were destroyed. The tornado continued into Northhampton County of the Wakefield WFO warning area.
Eight to twelve inches of rain resulted in flash flood waters of nearly 2 feet deep that flooded more than 80 residences and the evacuation of more than 50 residents. Two roads were washed out along with the force closures of dozens of roads in the Roanoke and Weldon areas, including the closure of Interstate 95 for several hours near mile marker 172.5. No injuries were reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
47,675
Population (ACS)
$106K
Median home value
26
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 Halifax County, North Carolina?
363 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $80.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Halifax County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 233 recorded events — 64.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Halifax County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Halifax County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Halifax County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Halifax County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Halifax County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 73 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Halifax 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
- Guilford County 795
- Harnett County 457
- Greene County 213
- Haywood County 178
- Granville County 297
- Henderson County 433
Cite this page
“Halifax County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/halifax-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.