Jackson County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 223 recorded events between 1969 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,297 nationally and #74 in North Carolina.
223
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$15.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Jackson County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jackson County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 85 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 214 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jackson County, North Carolina record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $10.5M 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 Jackson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 106 | 0 | $538K | 65 | 1969–2026 |
| Hail | 61 | 0 | $1.0M | 1.75 | 1985–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $10.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 15 | 1 | $2.6M | 0 | 1997–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2010 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $300K | F2 | 1975–2024 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $61K | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2020–2020 |
Decade by decade
Jackson 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
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-06-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-02-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jackson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 1999 | Lightning | CASHIERS | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 1999 | Lightning | BIG RIDGE | 0 | 7 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | WILMOT | 0 | 1 | $1K |
| Jul 2, 2002 | Lightning | CASHIERS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | CASHIERS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 19, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $80K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Stream gauges indicated flash flooding developed along the Tuckasegee River and some of its tributaries, including Scotts Creek in Sylva after 10 to 15 inches of rain fell across the upper part of the basin over a couple of days. 1.5 to 2.5 inches of that fell over the headwaters in less than three hours during the morning of the 27th. A portion of Highway 107 was inundated south of Cullowhee, while several homes were inundated between Cullowhee and Canada Rd. Additional structures and roads were inundated downstream in the Dillsboro and Webster areas, including Dillard Rd. Scotts Creek inundated a mobile home park and a church building off Steeple Rd in Sylva and inundated streets and briefly entered some structures in Dillsboro.
Spotters and emergency manager reported flash flooding developed across northwest Jackson County after 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in just a few hours. The main impact was in the Barkers Creek watershed. Middle Fork Barkers Creek completely washed out a portion of Beachtree Rd. East Fork Barkers Creek washed out multiple culverts along Rockdale Rd. Flooding at the confluence of East Fork and West Fork Barkers Creek inundated Rockdale Rd and Barkers Creek Rd up to a foot of water entered a church at this location. Barkers Creek Rd was flooded in several other locations and the road shoulder scoured out in at least two locations. Dicks Creek also overflowed its banks and inundated Dicks Creek Rd north of Dillsboro trapping a deputy sheriff who had to be rescued.
Strong thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall in the Sylva area for several hours, resulting in a major flash flood event. Severe flooding occurred on numerous creeks and streams, including Cope Creek, Blantons Branch, Scotts Creek, and Cane Creek. Numerous roads were flooded, with some completely washed out.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
43,771
Population (ACS)
$285K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 28, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | EM |
| Sep 8, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM FRED | DR |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jackson County, North Carolina?
223 events are on record between 1969 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $15.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jackson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 106 recorded events — 47.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jackson County?
6 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 Jackson County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jackson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jackson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jackson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 80 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jackson 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
- Iredell County 569
- Johnston County 750
- Hyde County 156
- Jones County 208
- Hoke County 231
- Lee County 250
Cite this page
“Jackson County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/jackson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.